Time Turning
by alphashley14
Summary: Soulmate: A person with whom one has a feeling of deep or natural affinity. ADOPTED from awkwardwriter's story, 'Soulmate Through Time'
1. Chapter 1: Trouble with Time Turners

**This is adopted from another story called 'Soulmate through Time' by awkwardwriter98. Enjoy! Leave reviews! The works! I do not own Kuroshitsuji or HP.**

 **^.^**

* * *

The doorbell rang.

She pushed a button on the wall and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Harry." Her friend's voice sounded through the intercom.

"Go ahead and let yourself in, Harry. The door's not locked." She said.

"Okay, Hermione."

The intercom cut off, she heard the front door open and the sound of her guest wiping his feet on the welcome mat.

"Hermione?"

"I'm in the kitchen, Harry." Hermione Jean Granger replied.

A moment later, one of her best friends in the world, Harry James Potter, walked into her kitchen. It was four years after the battle of Hogwarts and the defeat of You-Know-Who. Hermione had finally saved up enough to buy her own flat.

It was a large flat, with a small mud room by the front door, a living room, a small kitchen with a table big enough to have friends over, two bathrooms, her master bedroom, and she'd even had a small spare room, which she had turned into a little library. And every room in the house was painted and decorated after different Hogwarts houses. The mud room in the front was decorated in all of them, to welcome anyone and everyone into her home, the living room and her bedroom were done in Gryffindor, the bathrooms were done in Slytherin (because _where_ had the entrance to the chamber of secrets been?), the kitchen was done in Hufflepuff, and her small library, which was connected to her living room, was done in Ravenclaw.

In appearance, the kitchen was just as ordinary as any modern muggle kitchen. Since it was themed after Hufflepuff, the walls were painted a pale yellow with a single black stripe running along the bottom, all of the appliances were silver. There was no dishwasher, though, as the dishes were magically washing themselves in the sink like something out of _The Sorcerer's Apprentice._ There were also many badger-themed things around the room, as the mascot for Hufflepuff was a badger. The cookie jar and salt and pepper shakers were shaped like badgers, and there were little badgers all over the curtains, too.

"Hey Harry, I just read it in the prophet! You've caught the last cell of Death Eaters? Congratulations!" Hermione congratulated her friend.

"Thanks, Hermione. Finally, I _know_ the old scar will never hurt again." He said, sitting down at the table across from her, fingering the cursed mark on his forehead.

"That's a relief to us all!" Hermione agreed. Nothing good ever came of Harry's scar hurting. "By the way, I notice you're off of work early, today. It's about one. When you visited yesterday, you said you had some paperwork to do, so I was sure you'd be late." Hermione said.

"You've gone and lost track of time, Hermione." Harry said, pointing to the clock. Hermione looked, and indeed she had lost track of time. It was past six, already. Hermione blushed with embarrassment at her mistake.

"You're always doing that. You should set your watch to have an alarm go off every hour like a cuckoo clock. Heavens knows you need one. Someone can't _always_ be there to tell you the time!"

"Harry, at this rate, I just might take you up on that suggestion. I saw a pretty cuckoo clock in Diagon Alley just yesterday. It was enchanted so that every hour, a lovely bird flew out of the birdhouse on top to fly around the house twice singing the happiest, prettiest little song I've ever heard. It was surprisingly affordable, and I can think of just the place to put it in the living room."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Hermione. But you can't carry a gigantic cuckoo clock everywhere you go." Harry said.

"I know. I just meant for here at home. I'll set a cuckoo on my watch, if it makes you feel better."

"It would. You might be on time for things more often. Where did your timeliness _go_ after we finished school?"

"I lose track of time when I'm working, okay! But once I realize what time it is, I am right on top of it!"

" _Sure you are_." Harry said teasingly.

"Oh, you hush, Harry!" Hermione fake-scolded.

"How about you go change clothes? We're supposed to go visit the Burrow, today. Remember?" Harry asked.

"Yes, of course I remember." Hermione sighed, getting up and dashing into her room to change out of her work clothes into something pretty yet casual.

* * *

Some time later, a loud *pop* sounded through the late evening air in the front yard of a very unusual looking house. Hermione and Harry quickly rushed inside and away from the cold, having done so so many times there was no longer a need to knock. The Burrow was a wizard-built, multi-story dwelling and the home of the rather large Weasley family, whom Hermione loved as dearly as if they were related through blood, even if they weren't.

"Harry! Hermione!" Molly Weasley, the Mother, greeted as she popped her head around the entrance to the kitchen as the two entered the house. Molly came around the corner, wiping her hands on her apron and pulling each of them in for a hug.

"Oh Hermione, look at you! So thin! You need some meat on your bones!" Molly commented, poking Hermione playfully in the ribs.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, really. I've been taking care of myself just fine." Hermione reassured her.

"Nonsense! You're like a second daughter to me. And how many times have I told you to call me Molly, dear?"

"Don't listen to her, Molly. She's eaten pizza for the past four days in a row!" Harry said. Hermione frowned at him, displeased that he'd sided with Molly.

"I hardly have any time to cook for myself. If it makes you feel any better, I'll start ordering something besides pizza!"

"Now, now, I'll have no fighting in my household. Settle down, now." Molly ordered. Harry and Hermione immediately shut up. "Now hug and make up."

After a moments' hesitation, Hermione and Harry smiled at each other and did just that, for it was impossible for them to stay mad or even irritated at each other for long.

"But I'm still right." Harry said, receiving a well-earned yet playful slap on the arm from Hermione. They truly did act like siblings, sometimes. Being close friends for almost eleven years will do that to you. But, so will fighting together through thick and thin against a psychopath and his evil followers in a war that they didn't even start. But, that's another story.

Molly was eyeballing Hermione's skinny frame again. "Well, I'll just have to fatten you up as much as I can whenever you walk into my house, won't I?" Molly said. "Now, go into the living room, everyone's already here. Dinner's served in about ten minutes." Molly said, marching back into the kitchen like a soldier into battle.

"Is there anything I can help with? Setting the table, perhaps?" Hermione called after her. It was quite rude not to at least _offer_ your host some assistance with things such as dinner.

"Oh no it's fine, dear. I have six… _five_ … children… to help me with that." Mrs. Weasley said, freezing and catching herself, remembering that one of her twins, one of her beloved children, her son, Fred, was dead, and had been so for over four years, now. Hermione quickly rushed over to hug the grieving Mother.

"It's alright, Molly." Hermione said, hugging the shorter witch.

"I know it is… but, it's just never the same. Some days, I forget he's gone and call for both of them, but only George comes. It just hurts. It'll never stop hurting. You'll understand when you have little ones of your own." Molly Weasley said, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, _if_." Hermione corrected.

" _When_." Molly corrected. "Honestly, if a smart, beautiful witch like _you_ can't find a man, then what is this world coming to?" Molly asked playfully.

Hermione smiled. "Seriously, are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes dear, I'm fine. Now go, before the others start to wonder where you are!"

When Hermione walked into the living room, Ginny was chatting with Charlie's girlfriend, Briar, Parvati Patil was sitting on Ron's lap (the two had started dating several months after the end of the war), Neville and Luna were sitting together holding hands (they had been married several months prior, and Hermione was surprised to see Neville here, as he had an apprenticeship under Herbology Professor Sprout at Hogwarts). Seamus Finnigan and Padma Patil were sitting together on the floor. Mr. Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt were sitting together, chatting like old friends. Hermione said hello to everyone, and eventually sat down with Ginny, Tonks, and Briar. The first thing that Ginny asked Hermione was, of course, "So, how was your dinner date?"

Several days back, Hermione had arranged a blind date. They'd gone out to dinner. He was a pureblood, named Steven Trevors, sweet and well groomed enough, handsome, too. But Hermione had found him dreadfully… _clumsy,_ he'd knocked over someone else's table and stuttered nervously all the time to the point it nearly gave Hermione a headache. She didn't plan on owling him again anytime, soon. And Hermione told her friends just that.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Ginny said with pity.

"Next time's Mr. Right for sure!" Briar said encouragingly.

"You're the only one out of us who hasn't found your true love, yet. I feel really sorry for you." Ginny said (she and Harry had been dating for sometime, now. In fact, they were living together).

"Yeah! I always thought you'd be the first of our group to get hitched, Hermione." Padma said, joining the conversation. Pavarti walked over as well, so all the girls were chatting and the boys were forming a group.

"I have to agree with my sister. You're _way_ more beautiful than the rest of us, the brightest witch of your age, and then there's the whole 'I am a badass who helped defeat You-Know-Who' thing." Pavarti said.

"I want someone to like me for me, not for my titles or the things I've done." Hermione said.

"Maybe it's fate. Maybe fate is just having you meet all the _wrong_ guys so that you know it's him when you find your soulmate." Briar suggested.

"You believe in soulmates?" Hermione asked. She'd heard and read about them many times before, but wasn't sure if there was any actual merit to them. She'd never seen any _verifiable_ books on the subject.

"My mother always told me stories about soulmates. I believe everyone has one, but not everyone gets to meet theirs. It takes luck, and sometimes heroes are rewarded for their great deeds with the chance to meet their soulmate." Briar said.

"Our Mum told us about them, too." Padma and Pavarti said together. It was _definately_ a twin thing. It reminded Hermione of Fred and George, and sadness flickered across Ginny's features for a moment as it reminded her of her fallen brother.

But, she put on a smile and asked, "What about you, Briar? Do you think you and Charlie are soulmates?"

Briar's cheeks turned pink. "I… I would like to think so." she said.

"But how will I know if It's him?" Hermione asked.

Briar opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Weasley called everyone for dinner. In the chaos, laughter and food, the topic was forgotten, and Hermione never did get her answer.

* * *

Hermione was eating breakfast the next morning when she heard a tap, tap, tapping at the window. She looked over to see a ministry owl perched on her windowsill with a letter in its' beak. Hermione got up and opened the window to let the bird inside. The owl hopped inside and perched itself on the back of one of her chairs in the kitchen. Hermione closed the window again, not wanting to let the cold in, took the letter from the owl, and opened it. It read:

 _Dear Employees of the Ministry of Magic,_

 _I am delighted to announce that today is the semi-annual 'Take Your Pet to Work Day' at the Ministry. For today, each ministry official may bring a beloved pet to work, so long as said animal is small enough to keep close and convenient. Examples include owls, canaries, cats, toads, well-mannered medium-small dogs, and any other animal (magical or non) of a similar size. The only exception to this rule is, of course, nifflers, as we do not want any jewelry or other valuable items to go missing, today._

 _Thank you! We are excited to see the interesting creatures that come into our workplace, today._

 _Sincerely,  
_ _Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt_

Hermione squealed in excitement just as she felt a fuzzy little body rub against her ankle. She looked down to see the very pet she was bringing to work that day. Crookshanks, her beloved orange kneazle-hybrid, had passed away last year. It was to be expected, he was old when she had gotten him, and that was before her third year at Hogwarts! A few months ago, Hermione had gone back to the owner of the petshop where she'd gotten him, and the shop owner had pointed her in the direction of the kneazle breeder where she'd gotten Crookshanks. From that breeder, Hermione had purchased one of Crookshanks _far_ younger cousins, a beautiful male kneazle-housecat hybrid kitten whom Hermione had named Knick-knacks, but she often called him 'Nick' for short. both in memory of her previous cat (because 'Knick-Knacks' sounded a little bit like 'Crookshanks'), and because of the cat-kneazle's apparent _obsession_ with anything small and easy to bat at with his paws or carry around in his mouth.

He was a truly beautiful animal, in Hermione's opinion. He had a lovely, slender build, his legs were long and strong, the pads of his paws were soft, large, and dark grey, and his nose matched. Most of his fur was a gorgeous silver-grey color, but his muzzle and belly were white. He had large dark grey spots on his back and hind legs, and one on the tip of his fluffy tail. His eyes were large and cerulean blue, with irises black as a raven's wings. He took more after his kneazle side than his cat side, but the similarities between the two species made it hard to tell if you didn't know what a kneazle looked like. His ears were almost as large as a kneazle, but much larger than a normal cat's, but his tail lacked the lion-like quality keazle's tails had. Rather, it was long and fluffy from base to tip. He was the most beautiful cat Hermione had ever seen, and she told him so constantly.

"You get to come to work with me, Nick!" she said merrily, scooping the cat up in her arms and nuzzling his face with her own. He immediately began to purr, sensing her good intentions. Being part kneazle, Knick-knacks was highly intelligent. He wasn't sure why Hermione left every day, only that she had to, and some days didn't want to. But today, he was getting to go with her to this place called 'work', and that made him so happy!

Hermione set Knick-knacks down on solid ground again, gave the Ministry Owl a treat and sent him on his way, then sat down to eat her breakfast. No sooner had she picked up her knife and fork again… her doorbell rang.

 _Odd, Harry and Ron went to Albania first thing this morning to investigate some House-elf trafficking cases, so who would be visiting me this early in the morning?_ She wondered.

Hermione set her silverware down and stood up, dragging herself away from the wonderful smell of eggs and bacon still coming from her plate. She answered the door, and was surprised to see that it was Ginny.

"Lo' Ginny. Is there something wrong? I thought you had a meeting today." Hermione said.

"No, nothing's wrong. And I do have a meeting, but that's not until the afternoon. I just thought I'd stop by to tell you something I forgot to tell you yesterday." Ginny said.

"You could've just owled me." Hermione said.

"I wanted to tell you this in person. Besides, do I need an excuse to come and see my friend?" Ginny asked, looking fake-hurt.

"Of course not. Now come inside, before you catch cold." Hermione said, stepping inside to let the other Gryffindor girl inside. Ginny brushed her feet off on the doormat and the two witches stepped into the living room.

Hermione's living room was decorated much like the gryffindor common room, with a sofa, several armchairs and bean bag chairs, a coffee table, a large flat screen telly, and photographs of her friends and family lining the walls. And of course, there was the large stone fireplace which was connected to the floo network.

Hermione sat Ginny down in an armchair, conjured a pot which began pouring the two some tea, they picked up their cups, and the conversing began. This was the first sentence spoken by the great Ginny Weasley.

"I just came over to tell you that you have a blind date today."

Hermione sputtered and the tea in her mouth spilled back into her cup. "S-say w-what now?" She asked with wide eyes and a raised voice.

"Surprised?"

"Surprised does not begin to cover it." Hermione seethed.

"Oh, don't get mad at me. I'm trying to help. All the ones _you've_ picked ended in disaster."

"Well, why would you spring it on me like this?"

"Look, I said I'm just trying to help. Every date you've been on has been a failure. It makes me sad, seeing you all alone. You need someone to take care of you. Ron's made it clear that it's not going to be him, so we have to find you someone!"

"Ginny, I can take care of myself _just fine_. I am a strong, independent woman, a war hero, and according to… _everyone_ , I'm 'the brightest witch of my age'. I don't _need_ any _man_ to take care of me! It'd be nice, but I'm telling you, the situation isn't so dire that I need my friends to interfere."

"I know that, but I want to help! Please, my sister from another mother, let me help just this once!" Ginny begged.

Hermione sighed. There was no winning an argument once Ginny had made up her mind, and how could she possibly say no to those puppy dog eyes?

"When and where?" She deadpanned. Ginny squealed like a schoolgirl in love and hugged Hermione from across the table.

"The Leaky Cauldron at seven o'clock. He should be tall, wearing a black suit with a white shirt." Ginny said, getting up and walking towards her fireplace. "By the way, may I use your floo? There's somewhere I have to be."

"Sure, of course." Hermione said. "Just be warned that if this date goes badly, I will be getting you back for it!" Hermione mock-warned slash mock-threatened. Ginny merely held up her hands defensively in response, stepped into the fireplace, bade a quick goodbye, grabbed a handful of powder, cried out "Diagon Alley," and disappeared in a swirl of flame.

Hermione sighed once more and waved her wand to send the tea and pots back from whence they had come. Then, she made her way back into the kitchen to finish her breakfast, all the while contemplating what she should wear for her date… and whether it will end up being worth dressing up for at all.

* * *

Deputy Head of The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That was the official 'title' of Hermione's job. So, roughly a half hour after Ginny had left her humble residence, Hermione was dressed in her witch's robes, wand safely in her holster, carrying Knick-knacks safely in his cat carrier, and stepping out of a ministry of magic floo fireplace. Hermione dusted the soot off of her robes and quickly checked on Knick-knacks, who was just fine although looking a little nervous, suddenly being from the home he'd grown to love and be comfortable in, to this big place filled with lots of strange people and other animals he didn't know.

Cats liked comfort. They liked their own territory. But, he had his cat carrier, which had grey plush walls with black victorian era designs all over it, and smelled of home. Hermione had even put his favorite pillow and some of his trinkets, his _knick-knacks_ in with him. A little stuffed mouse that fit in his mouth so nicely, a little ball of yarn, and a cage ball with a little bell in it that made such a pretty, entertaining noise when he batted at it.

Hermione started making her way to her office. All around her, wizards, some she knew, her co-workers, some she didn't, walked about with their animal companions. Some wizards walked around with their dogs on leashes, and one wizard walked past her with a crup (a wizard-bred dog that looks like a jack russell terrier with a forked tail) on a leash. Others had creatures in cages, carriers, or on their shoulders.

She passed by one particular statue, and happened to stop to look at it. She didn't know why, she'd passed by it many times before, she'd even stopped to look at it and read the plaque before, but today, she happened to stop to look at it. She didn't know why, she just decided to. It was a statue commemorating the passing of the 1889 Law of the Divine, which gave demons, angels, ghosts, grim reapers, and other supernatural/divine beings rights in the eyes of the ministry of magic and forced the ministry to acknowledge them, their needs, and (in the case of demons) their contracts, in the rare cases when it pertains to them.

The story behind it was that sometime in late 1888 or 1889, the ministry wrongfully executed a witch for a crime it later turned out she was innocent of. Her name was long-forgotten, no one knew who she was. But, she was also the destined soulmate of an incredibly powerful demon, who loved her more than life itself.

According to the lore she'd read, demons taking a mate is less common than marriage in humans, but even fewer ever found their soulmate. Even _hearing_ of a demon who had found its' soulmate was like finding a needle in a haystack.

In his rage and grief, the demon brutally murdered almost half of the ministry of magic and over half of the aurors, who were powerless to stop him, before he finally came back to his senses and disappeared. The Minister of Magic at the time, Faris Spavin, survived, and the massacre terrified the ministry into taking action: action in the form of a law that would force them to take… certain things… into consideration, to prevent such an event from ever happening again.

Hermione had read about demons, but no verifiable sighting of one had ever been recorded other than the law that was made because of them. Hermione didn't know whether or not to believe they were real, and the same went for angels, too. She'd _seen_ and spoken to many ghosts in her lifetime, so she knew _they_ were real. As for grim reapers… there was the deathly hallows, but there was no proof that those were actually products of death himself.

Regardless if there was any merit to it, Hermione thought it was a very sad story. A very sad story, indeed. She looked at the statue. It wasn't very large, if taken off of it's podium, it would only come up to her waist. But it was made of black marble with silver here and there, and the architecture was so detailed and beautiful. It was of a demon. Hypothetically, the heartbroken demon that the law had been made after. The demon's black marble wings were curled inward, mid-flight, each feather was spread out and detailed with a streak of silver down the inside middle of each one. His face was contorted with pure fury, silver claws outstretched, his eyes were marble with silver tears streaming down his cheeks, his silver teeth were bared, his raised lips contorting his muzzle into a silent snarl. His silver-lined horns were like that of a ram's, and they framed his face regally. He looked so magnificent and furious… but the artist had somehow mixed that fury with a look of such grief and despair, that made him look so utterly _heartbroken_ at the same time.

Hermione knew that demons were immortal, so the stories said, they didn't age, and no known mortal weapons could kill them. She wondered if that poor demon was still alive, if he had gotten over it, or if he still lived empty and heartbroken, or perhaps he _wanted_ to die, but couldn't. Or if perhaps he'd disappeared _to_ die after the massacre (could demons even commit suicide?). Or maybe he just died naturally… or was killed by some other powerful being such as himself. Hermione then stopped to wonder why she was thinking about this. After all, there was no concrete evidence to prove demons to be real in the first place, so why ponder it?

She left the statue and ended up in an elevator with a short, plump witch with a boa constrictor around her shoulders and a tall, thin wizard with a little canary in a cage, and when she got off the elevator, a witch dressed in green with a blue macaw on her arm got in.

As Hermione made her way to her office, which was on a balcony overlooking the ministry lobby, there was an explosion a few floors above her. **BOOM!** It had come from the Chronology Department, which dealt with the study of magic and how it pertain to magic. They dealt with things like time turners, time-stopping spells, and other (some dark and/or illegal) forms of time magic.

But of course, none of this occurred to Hermione as her ears rang from the sound, dust and pieces of rubble rained down on her, and everyone started freaking out, running about and screaming. The apparent perpetrator, _obviously_ a Death Eater, jumped and landed on her balcony. He was followed swiftly by a couple of _very_ pissed off Aurors. And of course, because this was her life and this kind of crap _always_ ended up happening to her, he ran straight at her. Well, not _at_ her, but _in her direction_. He ran past her, and the Aurors were not far behind.

"GET HIM BEFORE HE JUMPS!" One of them shrieked. _Jumps?_ Hermione looked at the runaway Death Eater, who was now yelling while running, "THE DARK LORD SHALL NOT BE DEFEATED! I'LL FIX IT!" At the top of his lungs. He was carrying a small pouch in his hand. After that, several things happened simultaneously. Hermione saw something gold and familiar looking glittering inside it.

Then, several things happened simultaneously. Firstly, it registered in her mind what _it_ was, it was a time-turner. In fact, it was _the_ time-turner. It had recently been discovered in one of the confiscated vaults of the Lestrange family. A time-turner that could go back however far the wearer wished. Months, years, decades, _centuries_! And if a Death Eater had it, it didn't take a genius to guess what he planned to do with it: make sure Voldemort triumphed at the Battle of Hogwarts. Secondly, Hermione whipped her wand out and cried out, ' _Accio!'_ And thirdly, the time-turner flew into her hand. But the second it touched her fingertips, Hermione Granger, cat carrier in hand, disappeared… and the time-turner fell to the floor with a metallic ' _plink'_.

* * *

When Hermione opened her eyes, the Ministry was empty. Empty and not destroyed. What was going on? Hermione tried to open the door to her office, but when she did, it was locked… and there was someone else's name on the nametag.

 _What is going on_? Hermione wondered. She went back to the elevator, which didn't look quite the same as it had a few minutes ago, went down to the first floor, and walked about, thinking. That was all there was to do. She stopped to look at the demon statue she'd looked at before… and froze. _It wasn't there._

Hermione backed away from the empty spot, breathing hard. _Nonononono. Not happening. Not happening. There was a probably unstable time-turner, it touched me, and now everything's different. I have not been sent back in time, I have not been sent back in time, I have NOT been sent back in time!_

"Excuse me, who are you?" A voice asked. Hermione spun around, and gasped. She'd seen that woman before. _In history books_. Eloise Mintumble. _She died in 1899!_ Hermione's mind immediately traveled to the excerpt of 'Famous Witches and Wizards' where she'd first learned of the famous Unspeakable.

 _ **Madam Eloise Mintumble**_ _(d. 1899) was an Unspeakable (a wizard or witch who works in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries, forbidden from discussing their jobs or disclosing any information about their department, hence the name "Unspeakable.") in the Department of Mysteries who died during the course of an experiment to travel back in time for more than a few hours.  
_ _Madam Mintumble was trapped, for a period of five days, in the year 1402. When she was finally retrieved to the present, her body had aged five centuries, and, irreparably damaged, she died in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Her excursion to the past provoked a great disturbance to the life paths of all those she met, changing the present so dramatically that no fewer than twenty-five of their descendants vanished in the present, having been "un-born". Moreover, there were a few more alarming signs that time itself had been disturbed: Tuesday following her reappearance lasted two and a half full days, whereas Thursday shot by in the space of four hours_

"E-Eloise… M-M-Mimtumble." Hermione sputtered.  
"Yes, that is _my_ name, who are _you_?" She asked.

Hermione dropped the cat carrier, earning a rather loud 'Meow' of protest from Knick-knacks, grabbed Eloise's shoulders urgently, and asked _the question_

"What _year_ is it?"

"Pardon?" Eloise asked, sounding puzzled.

" _What year is it?_ " Hermione asked again with more urgency, shaking the other witch slightly.

"It's 1888." The Unspeakable replied, still sounding puzzled.

At that, Hermione felt her heart stop. The world started going fuzzy, and Hermione Jean Granger promptly paled and fainted.

* * *

 **A quick special thanks to 'Guest'. I don't know who you are, but thank you for pointing out the mistake with the dates. You know what I'm talking about. This mistake has been fixed.  
** **I hope you like the story! Leave reviews! Remember: reviews are fuel for writers!  
** **Toodles!  
** **-alphashley14**


	2. Chapter 2: The Boy and his Black Butler

**Hermione**

Hermione Jean Granger came to her senses slowly. First, she felt that she was on something soft and comfortable, the fabric felt like a couch. Second, her eyes opened just a crack, and she dimly made out that she was on a futon in someone's office. And as she wondered what events had led up to her waking up in an office that was not her own, Hermione remembered.

 _"It's 1888."_

Hermione's eyes snapped open, remembering where- no, _when_ she was. Unfortunately, her eyes weren't quite ready for that yet, and she quickly closed them again because of the bright light coming from an oil lamp on the desk. Hermione groaned, white spots dancing across her vision.

"Oh, you're awake! Oh, sorry about the light, I guess I should have thought of that."

Still keeping her eyes closed, Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes with a groan, opening them _slowly_ this time. Hermione didn't recognize the room she was in, it looked like someone's office. She looked over to see Eloise Mimtumble sitting next to her. She was a pretty witch, about Hermione's age, with short, curly brown hair and blue eyes.

"Where am I? Is this your office?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, this is my office. By the way, are you feeling alright? You look a bit pale."

Hermione gulped. "I- I'm fine."

"By the way, who are you? I've never seen you before, Surely I should have at least _seen_ you. I'm pretty social for an Unspeakable, I know pretty much everyone. Are you new?"

"Um…" Hermione wasn't sure what to tell her. Should she tell her she was from a different time? She knew the consequences of tampering with time, and she knew what was destined to happen to Eloise in a few years. She didn't want herself or anyone she knew to end up unborn or something worse. Then she remembered: she had already tampered with time. Someone had already seen her.

 _I'm already in deep trouble. She's an Unspeakable. If I tell her, maybe she can help me get back to my own time. As long as I keep my name to myself, I should continue to exist if- no, when, I go back, or is it 'forward'. Whatever, just, when I return to my own time!_

"Well, um, I- I work here. Or, I will work here. You see, I'm from the future, there was an accident with this time-turner and in all the chaos, when I opened my eyes, I was in 1888. My name is…" Hermione paused to think of one, "Helena Gryffin."

"Oh my _god_ , you're from the _future_!" Eloise gasped. "Oh my goodness, I have so many questions! Wait- _NO_! Don't answer them! We do _not_ want to tamper with time more than you already have. _Please_ tell me that wasn't even your real name that you just gave me!"

"You're sharp. No, it wasn't. I couldn't give you my real name without there being consequences."

"Of course." The other witch said understandingly. She stood up and started to pace. "Okay, You can't stay in this timeline forever, I have to find a way to get you back. I'm an Unspeakable, I have the re- _sources_ , I just need to do the re- _search_. I'll bring the prospect of future-travel up to the others, and they'll be sure to latch onto it immediately. Once I figure out how to send you back, I'll send you back, promise. I _will_ send you home."

Hermione started tearing up. "T-thank you."

"There, there, now. No need to get so blue. I know you're far from home, in fact, as far from home as you could get, but you and your cat can stay with me until I find a way to get you to your proper time. Does that sound good?"

"My cat! Knick-knacks! Where is he?" Hermione asked urgently.

"Don't worry! He's still in his… special box or whatever it is. Right here."

Hermione hadn't seen the cat carrier next to the futon, but Eloise picked it up by the handle and gave it to Hermione. Immediately, Hermione opened it and pulled Knick-knacks out into a hug. The cat looked rather frazzled, his tail was completely poofed out, and his claws dug into the fabric of Hermione's robes. He had no way of knowing or understanding what was wrong, just that _something_ wasn't right. Hermione scratched him behind the ears and ran her fingers through his fur. Hermione was doing it to calm _herself_ down just as much as she was doing it to calm _him_ down.

Why? Because Hermione was scared. More scared than she'd been in a long time. She was in another time. Much of the history she knew hadn't happened yet. Everyone she knew hadn't been born yet. She knew of all these terrible and wonderful things that were to happen, and she couldn't tell anyone.

One thing was for certain: _nothing_ was going to be the same.

* * *

 **The Black Butler**

In a large mansion a few miles outside London, a certain butler, dressed in black, was pushing a cart with tea for his young master. Suddenly and unexpectedly, he sensed something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him stop in his tracks and look out the window, in the direction of London, where he just knew that it was coming from. _What the hell is that?_ He wondered. But, after a few moments, Sebastian Michaelis shrugged it off and continued on to his master's study.

* * *

 **Hermione**

Two months. _Two months_ passed. Two months since Hermione ended up in 1888, two months since Hermione moved in with Eloise Mintumble. She still could hardly believe that she was living with the Eloise Mintumble, _the_ legendary Unspeakable. The Unspeakable who would soon be going back in time to the 1400s. _Even further back than I've ended up._

It often made Hermione sad, knowing what was to become of the kind witch who was providing her with clothes, food, and a roof over her head. But Hermione also knew that changing Eloise's fate would impact the timeline more than anyone else's. It was thanks to what was to happen to Eloise that the laws pertaining to time travel were to be written. If someone other than Eloise were to come to that fate, different people would be unborn, Eloise would live, and the _entire_ timetable would change dramatically.

One thing Hermione found interesting about Eloise was that she was a pureblood, and yet she didn't have the same opinions about Muggles, Half-Bloods, Muggle-Borns, Squibs, Half-Breeds, Werewolves, etc… that many other Purebloods of the time did. Hermione knew that as racist as Purebloods were in _her_ time, they were a _lot_ worse back in the day. So finding someone like Eloise who would help a Muggle-born like her and was okay with _everything_ was akin to meeting a Unicorn (which though they existed, they were still incredibly rare).

Which was why Hermione swore that, although there was nothing she could or should do to save Eloise's life, she would repay the kindness Eloise showed her. To do that, Hermione did what Hermione did best: she worked her ass off.

She didn't get a job, she didn't want to disrupt the timeline, after all. But Hermione cleaned Eloise's house, cooked whenever Eloise let her, did the dishes, ran errands, etc… While Hermione spent her days doing that and reading every book Eloise owned, Eloise had done exactly what she said she'd do, and without telling them there was someone from exactly 114 years in the future living with her, she had indiscreetly convinced her entire team into doing research into future-travel.

Hermione hoped that she could get home sooner than later. She didn't want to throw off the space-time continuum too much. She also knew that if possible, Harry and Ron would come back for her no question asked without a second thought. They were loyal to a fault like that and she loved them for it, but having _one_ person back in time was bad enough, much less _three_. With two of them having absolutely no sense at times. But, according to Eloise, even with all of the Unthinkables in her group working, they were making little to no progress solving Hermione's problem.

Eloise of course, noticed how hard Hermione worked, and _that_ , was why as of this morning, Eloise had given Hermione about forty galleons (equivalent to about 5 british pounds, or 300 American Dollars) to go out and enjoy herself with, sent her out of the house for the day, and banned Hermione from doing any sort of housework for a full twenty-four hours. At first, Hermione had hated it. She was what some people liked to call a 'little louie worrywart'. She always had a mental list of things that needed to be done or things she wanted to read, or things she wanted to do, and that list was so long, she usually didn't get any alone time to just sit and do absolutely nothing. But now that she'd been shopping around 1888 Diagon Alley for about three hours, picking out new clothes, books, things for Knick-knacks (whom she had with her at all times in case of the off chance a wormhole suddenly opened up or something and she was taken back to her own time), and other things, Hermione was rather enjoying herself.

Rather than drag Knick-knacks' carrier around with her, she had the cat-kneazle on his red and gold leash, which matched his collar, and he sat on her shoulder like a good boy for most of their outing. She sometimes let him down to walk beside her, as he was a very well-behaved, very intelligent cat, but in the crowds, he mostly stayed on her shoulder.

Hermione was eating lunch in the Leaky Cauldron (the menu was almost identical to that of her time, but one thing hadn't been invented yet, and two things were still there because their main ingredient hadn't been outlawed yet), she was having a ruben, and she'd ordered a dish of cream for Knick-knacks. She had almost finished eating when a family of wizards came in from the muggle world.

 _Wizarding society isn't vastly different, but common sense says that the muggle world must be **significantly** different!_ Hermione thought. _It'll be like walking into a Sherlock Holmes book!_ Hermione got very excited at that thought, and decided that she was going to use her (forcibly) free day to explore both wizarding and muggle 1888.

As soon as she finished eating, and Knick-knacks had eaten enough that she couldn't coax him to eat any more, Hermione used the Leaky Cauldron floo to drop off her purchases at Eloise's house. Then, she stopped by Gringotts to exchange about half of the galleons, sickles, and knuts she had left for british pounds. Once she was done with that, Hermione went back to the Leaky Cauldron, went into the bathroom to transfigure her wizard robes into a semi-comfortable Victorian Era dress, and went out the front door of the leaky cauldron, into muggle 18th century London.

 _Muggle Victorian London, here I come!_

* * *

 ** _COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY LOST_  
** _ONE UNUSUALLY BRIGHT, CURLY BROWN-HAIRED, BROWN-EYED WITCH_  
 _SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY:_  
 _HER PET GREY AND WHITE KNEAZLE-CAT HYBRID._  
 _IF FOUND, PLEASE RETURN TO ELOISE MINTUMBLE._

Hermione was so lost at this point, she was seriously considering putting out 'Lost' signs for herself so someone, _anyone_ would direct her back to the Leaky Cauldron. It was all the fault of that crazy dog who'd started chasing her when she was doing nothing but minding her own business, looking into a boutique shop window. And try as she might to trace her steps back to the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione just kept getting herself more and more lost. Hermione pulled out her pocket watch and checked the time. Damn! It's midnight! _Poor Eloise probably thinks I've been murdered by Jack the Ripper by now!_ Hermione thought.

Yep, According to all of the newspaper boys, waving around newspapers to sell and yelling the headlines out to the world, Hermione had wandered into Muggle London at the time of the infamous Jack the Ripper murders. Lucky her. She was also out at around the time the murders were said to usually occur. _Because I'm Hermione Granger, and apparently this is my life, now. Now I know how Harry felt, I can't catch a break!_

Just then, Hermione remembered something, and slapped herself on the forehead. _Of freaking course! Why haven't I done this, yet? I've been wasting all this time going round' London, when I could have just apparated back to Eloise's! Duh! I just have to find a convenient alley so I won't be seen._

Hermione passed a streetlight and saw an alley between two large brick buildings that looked good. Knick-knacks, who was walking a few feet ahead of her, looked into the alley, and froze, his ears perked up. Hermione heard voices coming from it. Was there someone down there?

Hermione peeked around the corner to see a rather unusual sight. There were five people. A young boy she'd have to guess was about twelve years old, his hair was black with a blue sheen to it, one eye was blue, and the other was… _purple_. There looked to be a shape in it, but Hermione's view was partially obstructed by the boy's bangs and she was too far away to make it out. The boy was knelt next to the corpse of a woman dressed in red, but Hermione couldn't see her face because it was covered by someone's black coat. The third person was dressed in red as well, in an obviously uncomfortable position, on his knees, with his face smashed into the pavement and his butt in the air, and the fourth person, a man dressed in a suit holding a pair of long bush clippers and reading from a book, was standing on that person's head. Hermione couldn't tell if the person being stood on was a man or a woman, the hair was long and red, but Hermione's instincts were telling her he(?) was male.

Finally, there was the fifth person. He stood out to Hermione the most, though she wasn't sure why. He was tall, she'd have to estimate about 6 or 6'1. He was incredibly handsome, with deep red, she'd have to say burgundy colored eyes that were framed by beautiful, perfect eyelashes. His skin was pale, and looked smooth and soft. His hair was long, straight, and black, it came down to about two inches from touching his shoulders in the front, but was shorter in the back, and his bangs were very long as well. Most of his bangs were tucked behind his ears, but there was just one bang that remained in front of his face, right between his eyes, and fell to the right of his perfect nose. Somehow, it made him even more handsome. He had to be the most beautiful human being Hermione had ever seen.

He was also injured. He was standing calmly, perfectly still, but Hermione could see long, deep gashes all over him, his white shirt stained with his own crimson blood. He was holding a chainsaw that matched Pavement Face's outfit. Had they been fighting and he'd gotten cut by a _chainsaw_? There was a gash on each of his shoulders (each of his clavicle bones and the corresponding muscles had clearly been cut, how was he able to move his arms?), and one long, nasty one going across his chest. There was also blood on the undersides of his arms and gloves, perhaps where he'd held his bleeding injuries. How was this man still standing?

Hermione quickly picked up Knick-knacks and held him close to her, then, she tried to listen to their conversation. It was hard to make out, but the man standing on Pavement Face was reading from a book. "... violated several regulations… people not on… second, you used… without authorization. And finally, you offered someone strictly classified information regarding… relative." That was all Hermione could make out. Well, that didn't help at all.

Once he finished reading, the man stomped on the man in red's head as if to say, 'you idiot', earning a well-earned cry of pain from the poor soul with his face smashed into the ground, the book vanished into thin air, and the man who had been reading hopped off of Pavement Face. Hermione was glad, too. It just looked painful.

The man who had been reading, Hermione was just dubbing him 'Clippers' for now, bowed to the one covered in blood in a respectful, apologetic manner, and said, "I apologize for all the trouble this… has caused… my card."

Clippers' clippers reached into his suit and withdrew a yellow business card, which he held out to Burgundy Eyes. With two fingers and a distasteful look that clearly read: _'The ground; I want to bury you under it'_ , Burgundy Eyes took the card from Clippers. Clippers spoke again.

"Honestly. I never… have to bow my head to… (demon?) scum like you. This is a disgrace to..." That was all Hermione could make out. Demon? Had he said 'demon'? No, surely not. He must have said something that sounded like 'demon'.

At the man's obviously forced apology, the man covered in his own blood looked both amused and surprised. "Then perhaps you should keep a better eye on your minions." He said, tossing the card away. "Humans are so easily tempted. They will do anything in the grip of utter despair. They will grasp at any thread that promises to save them from unhappiness, no matter the consequences. You should know that."

For some reason, Hermione could hear him clearly, but the voices of the others were muffled by the distance. Maybe he just had a clear voice. And what a voice it was! It was _definitely_ british, and as smooth as honey. Hermione was quite sure that she could listen to him talk all day.

"That's a charming bit of hypocrisy…" And that was all Hermione could make out of Clippers' response, as he pushed his glasses further up on top of his nose with his clippers. But, whatever he said, the man with the beautiful voice chuckled and said, "That, I cannot deny."

Clippers looked over at the boy, once again adjusting his glasses with his clippers. Honestly, how many times does one need to adjust their glasses per minute? Was it a nervous habit? Or was this guy just really bad at adjusting his vision? "You seem to be a tame dog… makes you far less dangerous…" He said to Handsome.

"Now, come with me, Grell," _Ah, so Pavement Face's name is Grell!_ "We're leaving." Clippers said, dragging Grell by the hair behind him. Hermione quickly ducked back, so she wasn't seen. She heard some murmuring conversation, and a few moments later, Clippers and Grell walked out of the mouth of the alley, right past her, into the street, and simply disappeared into the shadows.

Hermione peeked around the corner and saw the handsome man walking back towards the boy. "I'm sorry, my Lord. I allowed half of Jack the Ripper to escape." _Wait, time the Merlin out! 'Half of Jack the Ripper?' What's that supposed to mean? My Lord? Oh, wait. His clothes. He's not wearing a coat, but now that I think about it, he's dressed like a butler. He must be this kid's butler!_

"It's alright. It's… done." The boy said. He sounded very sad, and he was looking down at the corpse. Was that a relative? His _mother_ , perhaps? God forbid if it was his mother!

As the butler commented at how cold the boy was, and offered to make tea once they got back to 'the Manor' with a smile (Hermione _really_ liked his smile), Hermine backed away, knowing there was no need to interfere, as the butler was clearly showing no signs of needing medical attention, and the boy wasn't alone, he was with an obviously capable adult servant. She would simply find a different alley.

Because Hermione was looking at them, she didn't see the small stone in the path of her right foot until it was too late. The heel of her foot kicked it into the street. The _tap-tap-tap_ of it skittering across the sidewalk and finally coming to a stop in the road wasn't very loud, but in the silence, it was deafening. It echoed off of every wall, and Hermione flinched at the same time the two figures turned… and alarmed red eyes locked onto her wide brown ones.

"Sebastian! Catch her! Don't let her get away! We don't know how much she saw!" The boy ordered.

The witch and the butler reacted at the exact same moment. As 'Sebastian' stood up to run after her, it gave Hermione, who was already standing and on a hair-trigger to bolt, time to turn on her heel and make a mad dash for the nearest alley.

Now, normally, Hermione (and any other girl with taste, **fangirls, you all know who you are** ) wouldn't have complained one bit about a man that gorgeous and obviously well-mannered running after her. But when said man is covered in blood and following the orders of a twelve(?) year old boy to go after you because he _'didn't know how much you saw'_ , you tend to panic and your mind immediately thinks: _'OMG, he's after me!'_ and your body, much like when a rabbit sees a fox, runs for it. Hermione made it to the next alley just as the butler made it to the mouth of the first alley. Hermione turned briefly when she turned into the alley. Just long enough to see that he had stopped running, and was standing with his feet planted into the ground, looking at her with a shell shocked expression. He held out a hand and called out, "Wait!" But, Hermione didn't see any more of him. She turned into the alley, out of sight, and apparated back to Eloise's house just as she heard him start to run after her once more.

In Hermione's haste, she apparated to _'Eloise's house'_ , not in a specific room or spot in _'Eloise's house'_. Which is why she ended up in a rather absurd position sprawled out on top of Eloise's dining room table, shattering and scattering the fine china everywhere. There was a shout of surprise, and running feet, and when Hermione opened her eyes, Eloise was standing in the doorway, in her nightgown.

" _Helena_! What in heaven's' name? Where have you been? I thought for sure Jack the Ripper had gotten you! And what are you doing on top of my dining room table?" Eloise asked, sounding and worried.

"I'm… so sorry… Eloise." Hermione panted, sliding off of the table, and wordlessly casting a 'reparo' charm to fix the broken china. "I… got lost in the muggle world. Took me this long to remember this obvious thing called 'apparation'." Hermione said, giggling at her own stupidity.

"Why are you panting? You're all red in the face, like you've been running. And why'd you apparate on my dining room table? Surely they teach you to properly apparate in the future?" Eloise said.

"I got chased by a creepy old drunken pervert." Hermione lied, not missing a beat. "I ran, ducked into an alley as soon as I could, and in my haste, apparated to your home without specifying where in your home. This is just where my magic decided to dump me." Hermione said.

"Well, you're here now, safe and sound, and that's all that matters. Now, go get yourself cleaned up and dressed, then how about I make some dinner and hot tea before bed? You must be chilled to the bone." Eloise said, cocking her head to one side with a kind smile.

* * *

 **Sebastian**

"Deepest apologies my Lord, I seem to be making _'letting people get away'_ into a habit. This is the second time, tonight. It shan't happen again. I couldn't catch her, she got away." Sebastian Michaelis said, bowing to his master, Ciel Phantomhive apologetically.

"What? _How_? She couldn't run that far. Even if she got on a horse or in a car, you could have outrun her. I've seen you do it. You're a _demon_." Ciel said with disbelief, sounding not angry, but surprised.

"I haven't the faintest clue, my Lord. She just vanished. I couldn't sense her, anyw1here." Sebastian said. Sebastian couldn't believe she had escaped him. A _human_. She couldn't have run that far, that fast, so _how_ had she done it?

But, those thoughts were quickly drowned out by one undebatable fact: _That was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. And she was holding a cat, too._

Honestly, and Sebastian wouldn't tell this to Ciel, he may have caught her if he hadn't frozen, but when he got a good enough look at that gorgeous female, his body simply _froze_ , and he couldn't have torn his eyes away from her if he wanted to. That long, curly brown hair shone in the light of the streetlamps like polished copper, her dress showed enough of her curves for Sebastian to know that the body underneath was absolutely _perfect_. Those large, brown eyes, framed beautifully by those long, curling eyelashes. That perfect face, so round, so natural. Those plump lips, perfect for kissing. _No! Bad Sebastian! You're a demon! You shouldn't have such thoughts of a human!_

By the time Sebastian had come back to his senses, she'd turned around the corner and out of sight, and by the time he'd gotten there, to a dead-end no less, she'd _disappeared_. It was the strangest thing.

But, he had caught her scent. She smelled _divine_. Like some mix of honeysuckle and the smell of old books… and cats, too. She clearly owned a cat. He'd seen her running with it (and it was _beautiful_ , if he hadn't been so focused on her, he would have had to fight the urge to start petting it). _He loved it!_ He _loved_ that smell! He could have inhaled it for the rest of his life (which was a long time) and not gotten bored of it.

Ciel sighed heavily. "Never mind. You will go out and find her, tomorrow. But for now, I want to go home." His young master said.

Sebastian bowed. "Yes, my Lord. I got a decent look at her, and I caught her scent." He said. He'd had the intention of going to look for her as soon as he got a free moment, anyway. He didn't know why, but he wanted- no, _needed_ , to see that woman again.

* * *

 **Ah, another chapter done! Review! Review! Review! The longer, the better! I have a rule that I don't update a story unless the last chapter I posted gets _at least_ one review! Thank you to hrrjkdl and Emma3mikan for reviewing. Oh, and Emma3mikan...**

 _ **Gracias por la revisión! Haré todo lo posible para actualizar todo lo que pueda en el futuro. Si! Yo habla espanol!**_

 **So, thoughts? Suggestions? Leave em' in the reviews!**

 **One more thing: My computer is having serious problems right now. Like: _Won't charge or turn on_ kind of problems! So, I'm having to write whenever I can get my hands on _someone else's_ computer! I hate it! I soooo hope I can get _my_ computer fixed! So, If the next update takes awhile, _don't get mad at me!_**

 **See ya next time!**

 **-alphashley14**


	3. Chapter 3: The Phantomhive Manor

_Sorry it's been awhile! My computer was having 'technical difficulties' and I just got it back after I sent it to get fixed! So happy! So, enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 **Hermione**

Hermione didn't venture out into the muggle world for several days after her first encounter with the Young Lord and the Butler. She was a little afraid that the boy would send his butler, Sebastian, he had been called, after her the moment she set foot outside the safety and security of the wizarding world. She told herself many times to just forget about what she saw, but she just couldn't. Her mind just kept wandering back to the handsome red-eyed butler that had tried to chase her down.

Eloise gave Hermione another forced 'day off' a few days after the first one, and on that day, Hermione had read a very interesting book in Eloise's library. It was titled, _'Demons and Reapers'_. It had no author listed. Hermione had only picked it up because she'd been thinking about the statue that would stand in the Ministry of Magic in a few years. The one of the heartbroken demon, when she'd spotted the title and decided _'what the heck'_? And decided to read it.

From that book, Hermione picked up several pieces of information. One: demons and reapers are enemies. Though there are a select few 'oddballs' that don't hate the other and don't understand the reason for the feud, as there are alway divided opinions in such matters. There were two simple reasons for the hate between the two groups: one, reapers are minor deities that serve God by reaping the souls of his people once they die and escorting them to heaven, whereas demons are mischievous divine beings of hell that make contracts with humans. The price: their soul. This took away from the reaper's jobs. Hence, the hostility. Which brought Hermione to the second thing she learned: demons need to consume a human soul at least once every few decades or so to survive.

Hermione didn't really think it was fair. To the demons, that is. Reapers, and mostly everyone else, hated them for being these evil creatures that 'stole' human souls. In reality, it sounded to Hermione like demons weren't _'vicious monsters who always killed for profit or pleasure'_ , but just living beings who wanted to live. Just like any human, reaper, angel, or any other being that had the same right to live. If demons had to consume human souls to do that, then sorry humans, you drew the short straw. Hermione could only imagine that cattle felt the same way. Plus, there was also the fact that the 'innocent humans' _sold_ their souls to the demons. So, who was in the wrong, here? Not the demons, they _buy_ the souls fair and square.

Anyway, Hermione was doing some errands for Eloise, and alas, today was not her lucky day. The last item on the list was _black_ ink. And some pureblood snob had bought up _all the ink in diagon alley_ , apparently! It made no sense! _Why_ would you buy up every _drop_ of black ink in diagon alley? Even if you _were_ filthy rich? It made no sense, _at all_. In any case, Hermione didn't want to disappoint Eloise. So, rather than buy say, _blue_ or some other color ink, or no ink at all, Hermione dropped her other purchases off at Eloise's house, then made her way back out into the muggle world, her beloved cat perched upon her shoulder.

Hermione asked for directions several times before finally finding a shop that sold ink. She bought and paid for the ink and left the shop as quickly as she had come. Hermione was a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron, when Knick-knacks took off. The cat had been so well behaved, Hermione had stopped holding his leash so tightly, and then he abruptly started running back in the direction Hermione had just come from. "Nick! Bugger! Get back here!" Hermione called, running after him. He turned around the corner and Hermione followed…

There was a familiar man. Sitting on the steps of a bakery. _Cuddling_ her cat! "Such a supple body, such soft paws." He sighed happily to himself, "Cats are so perfect." It was the boy's handsome butler, 'Sebastian', from the other night. Hermione didn't think she'd ever seen anyone so happy to simply be _petting a cat_ in her life. As for Knick-knacks, well, he wasn't exactly complaining. In fact, he was purring rather loudly, in the butler's lap, having his belly rubbed, his paws massaged, and his neck scratched by an _obvious_ expert.

The butler was wearing the same or similar black pants and shoes, as well as the same or similar white gloves, she noticed, but of course all had been cleaned of the blood that had covered them the other night. and she couldn't see his shirt because he was wearing a rather long black coat to protect himself from the biting cold of the polluted London air. He was smiling. Hermione _really_ liked his smile.

If she'd seen him under any other circumstances, Hermione would have turned and run, but she sure as hell wasn't going anywhere without her cat. Hermione took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and asked in the most civil tone she could muster, "Excuse me, sir. But I believe that is my cat."

The butler looked over at her. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second in surprise. If not for her magic, Hermione wouldn't have noticed it, but he recovered quickly, gave her a small smile, and stood up, holding Knick-knacks with one arm, and stroking his back with the other hand. Hermione had been right in her height estimation, last night. With his 6'1 height, he was almost a foot taller than Hermione, who was about 5'5.

"Forgive me, Madame. He was so beautiful, I didn't notice his collar and leash." He said with a slight bow. The butler handed Knick-knacks back with a hint of reluctance in his eyes ( _wow_ , and she thought _she_ was a cat person). Hermione took him in her arms, and Knick-knacks settled himself over one of her shoulders, purring like a little engine in her ear. "Might I ask you what his name is?" The butler asked.

"His name is Knick-knacks. Though, I sometimes call him 'Nick' for short. I named him that because he likes to steal things. Usually small things that fit in his mouth easily and that are easy for him to play with." Hermione said.

"Knick-knacks. Cute. He certainly is lovely. Again, apologies." The butler said.

"It's quite alright. Though, I'm not sure why he ran off, he's never done that before. Thank you for returning him, Mr…" Hermione said, asking for his name.

"Michaelis. Sebastian Michaelis." He said, holding his hand out. What? _Oh, wait! Duh! It's the Victorian Era! I'm a lady, he wants to kiss my hand._ Blushing scarlet, Hermione let him take her hand and plant a single kiss on the top it, just behind her knuckles. Hermione saw his pupils dilate slightly when his bare lips touched her skin, and she could have sworn his shoulders stiffened. If it _was_ anything, he recovered from it quickly. He straightened his back once again, and inquired, "And might I ask your name, my fair lady?"

 _Eek! He just called me 'fair lady'! Just like in all the storybooks! Hermione! Get a grip!_ Hermione thought. "Her- Helena. Helena Gryffin." Hermione said, flinching on the inside for her near slip-up. She'd almost given him her real name.

Sebastian smiled at her and cocked his head to one side in a way that Hermione found absolutely _adorable_ for some reason. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Gryffin." He said.

"And to you as well, Mr. Michaelis." Hermione replied, returning the smile.

"Please, call me Sebastian. After all, I am merely a butler." He requested with a bow.

"Then you may call me Helena if you wish. After all, I am just a commoner. No noble blood, here. It's nice to meet you, _Sebastian_." Hermione said, correcting herself.

"And you as well, Lady Helena. And for the record, I'd like to say I've only just met you and I don't think you are, as you say, _'merely a commoner'_." Sebastian replied. He was staring at her. Just staring. With a look on his face Hermione couldn't quite place.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, Sebastian, I'm sorry, but I really must be going. I was out running an errand for a friend and-"

She was silenced by Sebastian placing a gloved finger elegantly to her lips. "Forgive me for the interruption, my lady, but there is one more question I had to ask you." He said, removing his finger.

Hermione gulped. "W-what's that?"

He leaned down and murmured in her ear, "Are you going to come with me willingly to see my master about what you saw last night, or am I going to have to make you?" He asked.

Hermione gulped again, knowing she was trapped. There were too many people around for magic, and she didn't think she could fight him off. "You recognized me." She sighed.

"And you recognized me." Sebastian said, backing up to a more reasonable distance again. "So, which shall it be?" He inquired.

"Depends. If your master deems that I've seen too much, will he kill me to keep me quiet?" She asked.

"Of course not, Ma'am. Don't be silly." Sebastian said sincerely, offering her his arm.

Hermione sighed. "I guess there's no point in putting up a fight. I don't think I'd win. I don't want to cause a scene." Hermione said, reluctantly taking his arm. He led her about a block down the street, where there was an empty yet luxurious carriage waiting for them, with a pair of lovely chocolate brown mares ready to pull it.

He opened the door to let her inside the carriage, but Hermione declined. "I'd like to sit with you, driving the horses, please." Hermione said.

He looked surprised. "Why on earth do you want to do that?" He asked.

"Because I still want to talk to you, and I can't do that with me inside and you outside the carriage." Hermione said, crossing her arms stubbornly.

He smiled at her and bowed slightly. "Of course, my fair lady." He said.

Trying desperately to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks, Hermione adjusted her grip on Knick-knacks and placed him up on the driver's seat. No sooner than she did, she heard a loud commotion up the street. Hermione stopped and looked, and there was a carriage charging down the street straight at them. The driver was obviously drunk. He was slurring and cursing at the police officers chasing him down on horseback, and he wasn't slowing down. Hermione froze like a deer in the headlights. The carriage was getting closer and closer too fast for her mind to process. Something slammed into her, and there was a loud 'CRASH'...

When Hermione opened her eyes, she hadn't been hit by the carriage. In fact, she was perfectly fine. She was laying on the ground, no, her upper body was about two inches above the ground, and her legs were touching the ground. She was looking up, but the sky had soft, pale skin and was wearing a long black coat. "Are you alright, my lady?" The worried voice of Sebastian Michaelis asked her. He was knelt over her with one leg on each side of her body. His right hand was cradling the back of her head close to him, and his left was around her waist. Hermione looked around, and her sharp mind immediately put together what had happened.

Just before the carriage could hit her, Sebastian had simultaneously crashed into her, knocking her out of the way, grabbed her head and waist to protect her from the impact, and had landed perfectly balanced on his knees so that he was above her to protect her from any horses hooves or carriage that may have hit them. The horses had missed them entirely, and because of his bad drunk driving, the carriage had skidded to the left so that the carriage had skidded completely over them _sideways_. In short, Sebastian Michaelis had just saved her life.

"My _lady_?" He asked again, _considerably_ more urgently. Hermione looked up at him.

"Uh, yes. I'm fine. Are _you_ alright?" Hermione asked.

Sebastian smiled. "Of course I am, Ma'am." He replied. The relief in his voice was very evident.

People started rushing over. Sebastian got off of Hermione and at the same time, not releasing his grip on her, pulled her to her feet. She shouldn't have stood up. The second she was on two legs, the world started to spin, Hermione felt like someone had filled her head with helium like a balloon. Her vision went fuzzy, and the next thing she knew, she was falling… straight into a pair of strong arms, clad in black with white gloves. The last thing she saw was the concerned face of Sebastian Michaelis. The last thing she heard was him, calling her 'name'.

"My lady? My lady! Miss Griffin? _Helena_!"

* * *

And so, for the second time since arriving in 1888, Hermione awoke in a place she did not remember going to sleep in. She was warm and comfortable. Her fingers were unconsciously gripping soft silk sheets. There was an oil lamp burning softly, and she could see a window. It was dark out. She could see a crescent moon, and the stars were twinkling.

There was a throbbing in her head. Hermione groaned. There were two glasses of water and a cup of tea on the bedside table next to the lamp. Hermione sat up and drank one of the glasses of water, letting the water hydrate her mouth and throat. It was then she noticed the note on her bedside table, neatly written in cursive blue ink.

 _Dearest Lady Helena,_

 _Deepest and sincerest apologies, but despite my attempt to protect you, you still suffered a nasty bump on the head when you were nearly hit by a carriage earlier, today. You do not have a concussion, but it seems you stood up too fast after receiving the blow, and it caused you to pass out. At worst, you should wake up with a minor or mediocre headache. I left you some herbal tea that should relieve that, should it come to pass. Your door and windows are locked from the outside. I suggest going back to sleep if you awake in the middle of the night to find this note. My master shall speak to you in the morning about what you saw in the alley a few nights ago, and then I'll escort you back to London, myself. Sweet dreams, my Lady._

 _Sincerely,  
_ _Sebastian Michaelis, Phantomhive Butler_

 _P.S,  
_ _Your cat, Knick-knacks, is locked somewhere in your room with you. He really is a darling creature._

"Well, at least he was sincere about it." Hermione said to herself. Hermione heard a 'Meow' and turned her head just in time to see Knick-knacks jump up onto her bed.

"Knick-knacks! Come here, boy!" Hermione said, holding out her arms. Knick-knacks jumped right into them. Hermione stroked his back affectionately. "You're a smart boy, how do we get out of this?"

Just then, another jolt of pain hit Hermione's throbbing head, and she groaned and closed her eyes. She felt like Phineas Gage, and an iron rod had just gone straight through her skull. Wincing, she looked over at the teacup sitting on her bedside table and decided that if it helped this headache go away. Hermione set Knick-knacks down next to her, who immediately cuddled up next to her legs and curled up to go to sleep, purring loudly. Hermione reached for the tea and took a sip. It had long-since gone cold, but it was still good. She leaned back, pondering her situation, and sure enough, by the time the tea was gone sometime later, Hermione's headache was almost completely gone.

Hermione was going to get up to try the windows and door, but she hadn't even removed the covers, when a wave of exhaustion hit her like the carriage almost had earlier that day. _I'm so tired… even if I get out of this room, I'll never get far. Maybe I should just rest awhile longer. Hermione_ thought, settling back down on the pillow, again.

 _Yes, just… a while… longer._ That was Hermione's last thought before she fell into a deep, restful slumber. She did not wake until morning.

* * *

 **Ciel**

Something was up. Something was going on with Sebastian, and it started and ended with _that woman_. Sebastian had finally found her and brought her to the manor four days after the end of the 'Jack the Ripper' incident. While Sebastian would of course, accomplish any order Ciel gave him with no complaints, he'd almost seemed… _eager_ to go out looking for her each day. The fact that it was taking _Sebastian_ four days to find one person was an eyebrow-raiser in itself. He'd almost started to suspect the Phantomhive butler was off doing something else while he was out.

Then, in the afternoon of the fourth day, his butler finally returned successful, carrying a very beautiful and very unconscious young woman in his arms. Ciel had been outside enjoying some fresh air when Sebastian had entered the grounds. Walking with ease, for she weighed nothing to him. But what had stood out to Ciel was the look on Sebastian's face. Sebastian Michaelis was a man of many smiles. There was the proud smile that Sebastian often gave Ciel when he 'proved himself to be a worthy soul once again', the polite yet 'I'm-going-to-kill-you-later' smile, the sadistic 'I'm-going-to-kill-you-now' smile, the amused smile, the sarcastic smile, the elusive _cat_ smile (given only to the felines the butler loved so much), and the _incredibly_ rare genuine smile. All were very similar, but to the trained eye (Ciel was pretty much the only one who spent enough time with Sebastian to be a 'trained eye'), they all had different meanings. This, however, was a smile Ciel had never seen before. It was… content, it was happy, it was filled with… did his eyes deceive him? _Love_. And it was directed straight at her.

"I see you found her at last." Ciel had said, in his usual tone.

"Actually, young master, I found her _cat_ first, then she found me." Sebastian had replied in an amused tone. It was then that Ciel noticed the beautiful silver animal laying in it's master's lap in Sebastian's arms. Perhaps he'd been mistaken and that had been the cat smile, perhaps Sebastian had been looking at the cat, not at her.

"What's her name?" Ciel had asked.

"Helena Gryffin. Lovely name for such a lovely lady, isn't it?"

 _That_ raised eyebrows. _Sebastian_ complimenting a female's looks without prompt?

"There was an incident with a drunk carriage driver on the way here. She hit her head. I have already taken her to a doctor. No concussion, it just knocked her out. She'll come to in a few hours. At worst, with a headache." Sebastian had said. His eyes had flashed fushia for just a moment at that statement. Sebastian? Angry about a human getting hurt? The only reason Sebastian was ever angered by _Ciel_ getting hurt was because he didn't like other people going after _his_ prey. But this woman… what was going on?

"Tie her up in the guest bedroom."

"Must we?" Sebastian sighed. _Wow. He genuinely looks like he doesn't want to do that._

"Fine, then just _lock_ her in the guest bedroom. Make sure she can't leave." Ciel said with a huff. "Of course, my young lord. I shall also leave her with some water and herbal tea, for the headache I'm sure she'll awake with." Sebastian said, walking briskly into the manor.

Later, Ciel had been walking by the guest bedroom. The very same one Sebastian had been told to put 'Helena Gryffin' in. The door was open. What Ciel had seen, made him stop in his tracks. She was tucked into bed, and Sebastian Michaelis was sitting by her side, looking at her with the same look as before. The cat was at the foot of the bed. Sebastian wasn't even looking at it. Ciel knew, now. The look was for _her_ , not the cat. Sebastian's gloves, which were usually only removed when he was about to go all out in combat, were removed now, and he was stroking the side of her face and hair gently, tenderly, with the back of one pentagram-tattooed hand. "You're so beautiful." He murmured. Ciel kept walking. He thought it not the best time to ask.

The next morning, her teacup was empty, so it was easy to assume she had awoken at some point in the night. Ciel had Sebastian carry her into one of the lounges and tie her arms to one of the armchairs. Looking very reluctant, Sebastian had followed his orders. From there, the two had sat in a semi-comfortable silence, waiting for her to wake up. It was during this silence, Ciel had decided to start talking about her.

"Well Sebastian, what do you think of her?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian was silent for several moments before he replied. "She's young, but from the conversation I had with her before the 'accident', she's strong-willed yet polite, and very intelligent."

"And?" Ciel prompted, sensing Sebastian wasn't telling him everything.

Sebastian took a breath. "She's also humble, kind, sweet, and…" He sighed, "she obviously has absolutely no idea how beautiful she is."

Ciel looked up sharply. His demon butler was looking at her with that smile again. "Isn't she just the most breathtaking thing you've ever seen?" He murmured. Ciel looked at her. He wasn't going to lie, she was beautiful. But he wouldn't say she was special in terms of other beautiful females he'd seen. But, she definitely made it to the top-ten list in terms of the beautiful women he'd seen.

"Alright Sebastian, what's going on?" Ciel asked, crossing his arms. Sebastian looked at him. "You've been giving her the _cat smile_ every time you've looked at her since she got here, your eyes flash demon at the mention of her getting hurt, you didn't want to tie her up both times I asked you to, and you took it upon yourself to make absolutely sure she was comfortable if she woke up in the night. You normally wouldn't do that unless I asked you to. So, what is she to you that _you_ care?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian sighed and closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself, or find the words. Finally, he opened his eyes. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, there was a groan from the young woman in the armchair.

* * *

 **Hermione**

Hermione groaned and opened her eyes. She tried to move her arms to rub them, but found she couldn't. She looked down and realized her arms were tied to the blue armchair. Constant vigilance. _Sorry Moody, forgot to follow your motto. You'd be mad at me if you could see me, now._ Hermione said to herself. Hermione tugged at her restraints, testing how strong they were, and was disappointed to find that they were quite strong. Hermione looked at her surroundings. The room was large and luxurious. The furniture looked expensive. _Well, whoever Sebastian's master is, he or she certainly has style._ Hermione said to herself.

"Ah, it seems you are finally awake." Hermione looked to the source of the voice to see the same boy from the other night sitting on a sofa across from her. Sebastian was standing in front of another armchair next to him. The boy was dressed well, rather than as a commoner, as she'd seen him the first time.

"My butler tells me your name is Helena Gryffin. Is that correct?" The boy asked. Hermione straightened herself in her seat.

"Who wants to know?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, I should introduce myself. I am Ciel Phantomhive, Lord and Earl of the Phantomhive family." The boy, Ciel, said.

"Forgive me, but aren't you a bit young to be an Earl?" Hermione asked.

"You're never too young to lose your parents." Ciel replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hermione said.

Ciel 'Hmm'ed in acknowledgement for her sympathy. "We're getting off subject." Ciel said. "I know you saw something in the alleyway the other night. What did you see?" He asked.

"I saw you, and Sebastian. But, Sebastian, you were covered in blood. Were you injured? Are you alright?" Hermione asked, turning to Sebastian. Sebastian looked a bit surprised that someone was asking him, a servant, about his well being. Frankly, Ciel looked a bit surprised, too. Hermione mentally reminded herself that worker/employee's rights were very different back in the day.

"I assure you, my Lady, I am quite alright. Thank you for your concern." Sebastian said with a smile.

"Was that all you saw?" The Earl Phantomhive asked.

"Oh! I also saw a man with a pair of… bush clippers. He kept adjusting his glasses. Seriously, how many times does one need to adjust one's glasses in two minutes?"

Sebastian chuckled in amusement. It looked like he was trying not to laugh harder.

"I also saw a… man? Er, they were wearing a lot of red, and he(?) had his face smashed into the ground. It looked rather painful. By the way, was he a male crossdresser or a very manly looking woman?"

Sebastian busted out laughing. "He… was a male… gay… crossdresser…" Sebastian said, between laughter. "He also… had a rather creepy, disgusting crush on me. Don't let him… hear you say that." Sebastian finished, composing himself and wiping the tears out of his eyes. "Thank you for that, My Lady. I cannot remember the last time I laughed that hard."

"Well, you're welcome." Hermione said, giggling at his reaction.

"Did you see anything else?" Ciel asked, sounding annoyed.

"Uh, you were next to a body. You… looked sad." Hermione said, getting serious. "Was… was that your mother? Or was she your aunt?" Hermione asked.

"She was my Aunt. Her name was Madame Red." Ciel said. His face didn't change, but his voice sounded melancholy.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said.

"We're getting off subject." Ciel said sternly. "Was there anything else?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. You asked me what I saw, and I have answered that. You didn't ask me what I _heard_."

There was yet another snort of laughter from Sebastian. "She's cheeky, I like her." The butler said. Ciel glared at him and Sebastian quickly wiped the smile from his face. Hermione looked at Sebastian and tilted her head. She'd noticed it once again, _Wow, he's handsome!_ Hermione thought, feeling amazed. The butler cocked his head at her and raised an eyebrow when he realized she was looking at him, and Hermione quickly looked back at Ciel, hoping she wasn't blushing.

"There's no need to be sarcastic, here. You know what I meant. Answer the question properly." Ciel scolded. Hermione noted that he was _totally adorable_ when he was trying to be intimidating. But she didn't say that.

"I couldn't hear what was going on very well because of the distance. I saw Clippers standing on top of… I believe Clippers called him 'Grell'. It looked rather painful. He was reading from a book, but all I heard was that apparently Grell 'violated several regulations', whatever that means. Then, he jumped off of Grell and apologized to Seastian for Grell's actions, though I don't know what he did. By the way Sebastian, I really liked what you said about human nature. I'm not sure why, but I could hear your voice clearly, and I liked what you said. It was both wise and true."

Sebastian looked a bit taken back, but he smiled at her and thanked her for her compliment with a slight bow. Hermione smiled back and returned her attention to Ciel.

"After that, Clippers dragged Grell by the hair and… disappeared. Not sure how he did that. After that, I heard Sebastian call you his master and realized that A: even though you were covered in blood Sebastian, you weren't hurt, and for all I knew it was from the corpse lying a few meters away from you. And B: you were, despite the lack of a tailcoat, obviously dressed like a butler, and since you'd called Ciel 'Master', I knew that Ciel was with a presumably responsible adult. Which led me to the conclusion that I had no need to interfere. But, my foot hit a stone as I was backing away, and you know the rest." Hermione said.

Sebastian snorted a small laugh. "Clippers... I'm going to have to use that on dear William if we see him, again." He chuckled to himself.

Ciel ignored his butler. He was staring at her in a way that Hermione found unsettling. She tried to dispel her discomfort by asking a question.

"May I ask you something?"

Ciel raised his eyebrows and quirked a smile. "I believe you just did." He replied.

"Ha-ha, very funny. But really, what are you going to do to me, now?" Hermione asked.

"That depends on you. On whether or not you're going to cooperate." Ciel said.

Hermione nodded. They'd had the courtesy of _not_ changing her clothes when she was unconscious, so she could feel her wand still tucked away in it's holster on her forearm under her sleeve. So, there was still some considerable hope of escape if she absolutely had to. A thought entered her mind. _Why the bloody hell didn't I just disapparate last night when I was alone in my room with no one watching me?! But, there was no amending that mistake, now._ Hermione tried to shift her position in her seat, but the movement made the bindings on her wrists hurt. She winced from the pain.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Is that too tight? I could loosen it a bit for you." Sebastian offered.

Ciel's eyebrows shot up and he looked over at his butler strangely, but Hermione just shrugged it off. The binding was really starting to irritate her.

"Please do. But please, it'd be even better if you just took them off." Hermione said.

"You'll try to escape." Ciel said.

"Please. I promise I won't. And…" Hermione cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and prepared herself to give a couple of Victorian-Era men a taste of an educated, intelligent woman.

"Yesterday, Sebastian shoved me out of the way of a carriage galloping at a speed between twenty-five and thirty miles per hour, if I were to estimate. His reaction time was fast enough to shove me to the ground with him on top of me to protect me _and_ place a hand under my head and my waist to make sure I didn't get hurt. I weigh about fifty kilograms. He was holding my entire upper body off of the ground but my legs were at a resting position on the road. Taking into consideration the fact that your upper body, being your head, trunk, arms, and hands, takes up approximately fifty-nine point two-six percent of your body weight, that's about twenty-nine point six-three kilograms. Or, sixty-five point three-two pounds if you were to convert it to US customary units. In either case, it's heavy. Yet, he held me about two inches above the ground while his own body was completely horizontal with his own weight resting entirely on his knees. This would have taken a considerable amount of body strength. Especially around the core, arms, and legs. Given these facts, I'd say Sebastian is superior to the average human in reflexes, speed, and strength. Which brings me to the conclusion that even if I _did_ try to escape, I certainly wouldn't get far."

With every sentence, the looks on their faces were getting even more _priceless_. Hermione quirked a coy smile at them and cocked her head to one side. Hermione got what she wanted. Ciel ordered Sebastian to release her from her restraints. As he was knelt down in front of her to do so, Sebastian looked straight at her and said, "That. Was amazing."

"Not really, it was just math."

"No, you're being modest. That was amazing, that was brilliant. That was really… something." Sebastian said, finishing untying the last knot. Hermione rubbed her sore wrists and stretched her arms.

"If I might ask one question, Miss?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes of course. And I told you, call me Helena." Hermione replied.

"Helena, then. How did you escape me the other night? You ran right into a dead end, and I'm quite sure I'm faster than you."

"Perhaps you just missed me." Hermione shrugged. _If I told you, I'd have to obliviate you._ Hermione said to herself.

"I don't think so, but I suppose that's the best answer we're going to get out of you." Ciel said.

"Yep." Hermione replied, popping the 'p'.

Ciel cracked a smile. "Sebastian, make us tea." The boy ordered.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian replied, walking briskly out of the room.

Hermione felt her inner self wince at Ciel's lack of respect for his servant. _He could have at least said 'Please'_. Once Sebastian was gone, Ciel turned to Hermione and asked, "Shall we play chess?"

"I'd love to. Though, it's been awhile since I last played chess. Don't worry, though. I am confident that I still remember how to play." Hermione said.

Ciel got out the chessboard. It was a beautiful set. Beautiful to muggle standards of course, but it couldn't be compared to the intricate pieces of the Wizards' chess sets at Hogwarts. A few minutes into the game, Hermione asked a question that had been bugging her.

"You said you lost your parents, and that was why you're the Earl of Phantomhive. How did they die?" She asked, making a move.

"Enemies. Burned the old mansion to the ground with them in it." Ciel sneered, moving his rook forward three to capture her pawn.

"And you? What did they do to you?" His bishop was taken.

"They captured me. Made me a slave and tortured me." Ciel said curtly, his queen attacking her knight.

"How old were you?" Hermione asked.

"Ten." He replied.

"I'm sorry. I know how you feel. Well, sort of. My parents had an accident when I was sixteen. They're both suffering from amnesia. Amazingly, just my luck, the only part of their lives they forgot, was me. So, for their sakes, I left home. I bump into them every now and then on purpose, just to check on them. They don't remember me, but they're happy. So, at least you know yours died loving you." Hermione said.

"That's terrible. I suppose you do sort of know how I feel." Ciel said sympathetically, just as Sebastian came in with a tea cart.

"How did you escape?" Hermione asked.

"Sebastian was hired to find me and bring me home, I then hired him as my butler." Ciel said. Hermione sensed he was lying, but didn't press further.

"So, now you're out for revenge for yourself?" Hermione asked. Ciel looked shocked.

"How could you possibly know that?" He asked.

"I'm just guessing." Hermione shrugged. "You don't seem like a _'I shall avenge you, Mother and Father'_ , kind of person. So, if not for them, it must be for yourself."

Sebastian had an impressed glint in his eyes, and Ciel himself admitted that he was impressed by her deduction skills. "Pray tell, Ciel, what exactly _is_ your revenge?" Hermione asked curiously.

"For those who have wronged and betrayed the Phantomhive family to suffer the same level of humiliation and suffering I did." Ciel said. Both of his bishops were taken, now.

Hermione nodded in understanding. "The word _monster_ can be defined as, _'a person who excites horror through extreme wickedness or cruelty_ '. I believe in creatures of the night, Ciel. Demons, ghosts, goblins, sea serpents, and the like. But I do not define them as 'monsters'. A true monster is someone or something that derives pleasure from the suffering of others. The _real_ monsters, live _inside us_. Inside people like _them_. To leave a child orphaned. To enslave and torture an innocent ten year old boy. If they're not monsters, I don't know what they are. I hope you get your revenge, Ciel." Hermione said.

Ciel was wearing yet another shocked expression. Hermione loved to be full of surprises. And the Earl's surprise doubled when she moved one last piece and said with a grin, "Checkmate." And Ciel said nothing, nothing at all. He just stared at the chess set like he couldn't believe he'd lost.

"Congratulations," he said at last, "It's been years since someone has defeated me at chess. I hope we can play again, sometime."

"I hope so, too. Now, I'm sorry, but may I please leave, now. I have a friend who's probably _really_ worried about me." Hermione said.

"It's obvious that you pose no threat, and heard nothing of importance. So, yes. You may leave. Would you like Sebastian to take you back to London?" Ciel asked.

"Oh, no. I'll make it on my own just fine." Hermione said. The three of them made the quick walk to Hermione's room to pick up Knick-knacks, then to the entrance of the estate. Sebastian gave Hermione directions back to London. She bid them both goodbye, thanking Sebastian once again for saving her life, and once she was far enough away that she was out of sight, she disapparated back to Eloise's house.

* * *

 **Sebastian**

That night, when Ciel and the servants were tucked away in their beds, a certain demon butler was up and about, but not working, as usual. Rather, he sat on the steps of the estate, staring at the moon, talking to God, of all people. He didn't think he'd ever willingly talk to God. But surely, that was the only person who could have been responsible for the marvelous, smart, funny, _beautiful_ creature that had been given to him.

"Why me? What have I ever done to deserve her? Such a _perfect_ creature, just for me? Or am I _her_ reward? Such a poor reward for such a wonderful being, whatever she may have done. Why would you bind her to a demon like me? I never in all my years ever even considered that I'd get one of my own. But this feeling in my heart, this sensation in my soul. I could be blind and I'd know who she was. _What_ she was. To think that she looks at the same bright moon and stars as me, tonight! My sweet Helena Gryffin, my one, my only, my precious, my eternal, my reason for living…

Sebastian closed his eyes and recalled to the front of his mind, everything he could about her. The way she smiled, the sound of her laughter, the melodious sound of her voice. The way she smelled, the way her hair fell down her shoulders, her gait. The sensation of touching her soft skin, the feeling that had ignited inside of him when he'd heard her utter his name, _"Nice to meet you too, Sebastian."_ Sebastian wanted nothing more than to be at her side for eternity. To hold her close and safe and never let go. With the image of her in his mind, Sebastian opened his eyes and looked up at the moon. It was beautiful, tonight. But compared to the radiant female he was so helplessly in love with, it looked oh so dull.

"Helena Gryffin. My beautiful soulmate."

* * *

 _Review, review, review! Seriously! I love reviews! Tell me what you liked/didn't like, correct mistakes, make suggestions and inferences! Who knows? Maybe I'll listen! See you next time! Conspire to inspire!_

 _-alphashley14_


	4. Chapter 4: Employment

**Hermione**

A week later, she was back. For no particular reason at all, she was back. Willingly, this time. And not unconscious. She didn't know why, all she knew was that she wanted to see the boy and his butler again. _Especially_ his butler. She didn't know why, but she couldn't get that beautiful face and those red eyes out of her head. Perhaps it was also the Young Earl's past that made Hermione return. The more she thought about it, the more Ciel reminded her of Harry. He certainly did _look_ like Harry, with his round face and black hair. And his past was similar. He'd lost his parents at a young age, had been taken somewhere else and was abused, and then was rescued into a better life. Now, he was working towards the death of his parents' murderer, just like Harry had spent seven years of his life doing. Hermione was homesick, she missed her time and the people there. But the previous week, when she'd been playing chess with Ciel, it was almost like she was a little girl at Hogwarts again, playing Wizards' chess with Harry.

Not wanting to look too much like a commoner, as she had been last time, Hermione was wearing a lovely light blue and white long-sleeved dress that went down to about her shins, black knee-high boots, and a lovely gold and blue topaz butterfly shaped hair clip was keeping her hair back. She wasn't wearing a corset. She'd tried putting one on and hated it, and Eloise had told her that her body was s perfect anyway, that she had no need for one (a statement Hermione denied and blushed at profusely). Rather, she was wearing a more simple bra to support her breasts.

Hermione was walking towards the front door of the mansion when a voice behind her said, "Hello?" Hermione jumped and whipped around.

There was a boy standing there. He was young, somewhere between the age of fourteen and sixteen, if Hermione had to guess. He had large, turquoise eyes, pale skin, and short, messy, strawberry-blonde hair clipped back with five bobby pins - two on his right and three on his left. He was dressed in a plain top with red around the collar, orange and red plaid pants, and black knee-high boots. Around his neck, he wore a straw hat.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry if I startled you, Miss!" The boy apologized quickly.

"No, it's alright." Hermione said.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you here to see the Earl?" The boy asked.

"I'm Helena Gryffin. And yes, I'm here to see Earl Phantomhive. I've met him once before, and I'd like to see him, again. Is he home?"

"Oh! You want to see the Young Master! Well, come in! I shall take you to his office. That's where he usually is this time of day." The boy said.

"Thank you. By the way, might I ask for your name?" Hermione asked.

"Oh! How rude of me, Miss. My name is Finnian, I'm the gardener here at the Phantomhive Manor, but everyone calls me Finny."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Finny." Hermione said with a warm smile.

Finny smiled back at her and led her inside, through vaguely familiar hallways, to Ciel's study. Now that she was taking more time to admire it, the inside of the mansion truly was amazing and luxurious.

* * *

 **Ciel**

Sebastian was serving Ciel's tea, like usual, when he suddenly froze and straightened himself to his full height, staring at one spot on the wall. "Sebastian, what are you looking at?" Ciel asked.

The demon did not reply.

"Sebastian?"

Not so much as a twitch.

" _Sebastian!_ " Finally, the demon looked over at him.

"Forgive me, Master. I was distracted." He apologized.

"By what?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door to his study. "Who is it?" Ciel asked, loud enough for whoever was at the other side to hear. "It's Finny, Young Master. There's a young lady here to see you."

 _It can't be…_ "Come in."

Finny stepped into the room, and behind him, followed a certain young woman.

"Miss Gryffin? What on Earth are you doing, here?" Ciel demanded.

"Nice to see you too, Ciel." Helena chuckled. "As for what I'm doing here, I was bored. And I wanted to see my favorite boy."

"We just met a week ago, and I'm your favorite boy?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I've certainly never met a boy quite as interesting or cute as you, Ciel. And it's actually a challenge to win at a game of Chess against you, so bonus." Hermione said teasingly.

Ciel glared at her, irritated at being called 'cute'.

"Lady Helena, please do sit down, I'll pour you a cup of tea. Finnian, please go pack your bag. We're going on a trip. And do tell the others to do the same." Sebastian said.

Helena sat down across from Ciel. "A holiday? In this season?" She asked, cocking her head at Ciel. Funny, Sebastian had said the same thing a few minutes ago. Ciel shot Finny a look, indicating he wanted the gardener to leave. Finny did a slight bow and obeyed.

"Do you know what bear-baiting is?" Ciel asked.

Helena nodded. "Yes, and it is an atrocious, cruel sport. A bear is chained to a wall, and a pack of trained dogs surround it, biting and attacking it until the poor thing dies. You're not into it, are you?" She asked, sounding concerned.

"No, of course not. And I agree. But, do you know what dog-baiting is?" Ciel asked.

"Dog-baiting? I've never heard of it, but do people do the same thing with… _dogs_?" She asked, sounding horrified.

"I'm afraid so. It's a loophole in the 1835 'Cruelty to Animals Act'. The dogs used in bear-baiting weren't outlawed. So, it technically isn't against the law."

"That's terrible. But what does it have to do with this 'holiday' you're going on?" Helena asked.

"There is a village in which it's quite popular. It's known as Houndsworth. It's long been known for raising fierce hunting dogs, but they take it further."

He let the sentence hang, and she nodded to let him know she understood what he meant.

"It breaks her Majesty's heart. And so, she has charged me with securing the land for a royal estate. A simple pretext to end the atrocities."

"Out of simple curiosity, why you?" Helena asked.

Now Ciel was confused. "Don't you know? The Phantomhives have always served as the Queen's Watchdog!"

"Sorry, but no. I've never heard of it. Would you care to elaborate?" Helena asked.

Ciel sighed. "Basically, as the Queen's Watchdog, it is my job to eliminate sources of the Queen's distress and stamp out illegal acts in the criminal underworld that may affect polite society. As The Earl of Phantomhive, I am also the head of a small secret organization known as 'The Aristocrats of Evil', whose members assist me in my task as Watchdog."

"That's a big job for someone as young as you, but you seem capable." Helena said.

"Thank you. It irritates me to no end when people underestimate me for my age." Ciel said.

"So, you're going to 'take care of' this problem for the Queen?" Helena asked.

"Yes."

"Well in that case, would you allow me to go with you?"

"What?"

"I want to help you, Ciel, and take care of you."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me!"

"Ciel, with all do respect, you're twelve. And as the 'Queen's Watchdog', you surely have a lot of enemies."

"But why you? Why do _you_ feel this urge to take care of me?" Ciel asked.

* * *

 **Hermione**

If Hermione had been completely honest with him, she would have told him this: He was a young, orphaned boy with messy black hair who tended to get himself into trouble. No one had ever reminded Hermione more of Harry James Potter than Ciel Phantomhive did. It had been Hermione's job during her time at Hogwarts and during the war to make sure the boy-who-lived didn't get himself killed, and it seemed that she just couldn't drop the habit.

"Because you remind me of someone I knew, once." Hermione said. "He and I were just a year younger than you when we met at school. He lost his parents at a young age, and though he didn't _always_ find trouble, trouble had a way of finding him. He even looked a bit like you, now that I think about it." Hermione said. "He had no one other than his friends and his teachers. He lived with his abusive relatives until he was seventeen. Then he, I, and a friend of ours ran away and went on the road. But, that's another story. The point is, he had no one. And I don't want you to end up that way."

"I'm not alone." Ciel muttered.

"But one more ally never hurt." Hermione said.

* * *

 **Sebastian**

She was back! She was here! She was sitting just a few feet away from him! Was this how dogs felt all the time? Wiggling about with wagging tails and joyous barking when their masters came home? Sebastian wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and never let go. But, he held himself back. He didn't have much of a choice. A: he didn't want to scare his destined mate away. B: He was under _contract_. Under any other circumstance, he'd say nothing mattered more than attaining a worthy soul. _But_ , to a demon, _nothing_ , not a contract, not food, not pride, not even their own life, mattered more than their soul mate.

Very few demons ever even _had_ a soul mate. To get one was the envy of every demon in hell. There are two ways to make more demons. The most common way was _'ye olde-fashioned way'_ , as he'd heard some put it. A pair of demons of the opposite gender perform intercourse and some time later… The second, less common way, was when a human of a worthy soul became a demon. Finally, the third and rarest way of all, was when a demon turned their human soul mate into a demon, so they could be together for eternity, and then when they had little demons of their own.

Dear _lord_ , the mere _thought_ of her writhing and screaming in pleasure beneath him was enough to make his trousers tighten. A demon having sex with a human was something akin to a man dying of thirst tasting only a single drop of water. It barely did anything to state lust and though it felt nice, it sure as heck didn't feel _great_. A demon having sex with another demon felt _amazing_ , just like human-to-human sex did, as far as Sebastian's understanding went. But according to the tales told by those select few demons who got the rare ambrosia known as a _soul mate_ , nothing could ever compare to the feeling of being intertwined with your soul mate. It was pleasure, it was happiness, it was _love_. And most of all, it just felt _right_.

Demons were for the most part incapable of feeling 'love'. Mated pairs grew a deep feeling of respect and _liked_ each other a lot after some time. If a pair remained mated long enough, they could start to scratch the surface of what love felt like. The only way for a demon to feel actual _love_ for another, was the love between a demon and his/her soul mate. And this feeling in Sebastian's heart was so great, so strong, so warm, so _good_ , there was no other word he could possibly use to describe it.

Ciel asked her why she felt the need to take care of him. Truthfully, Sebastian was sure that she didn't really know why she'd come back to the manor, but whether she realized it or not, it was her instincts drawing her back to him. They were like magnets, now. Nothing could keep them apart.

But her response had him curious.

Ciel sighed. "I could offer you a job working here at the manor. Consider this your interview. Do you have any skills?"

"Well, I've loved to read and learn ever since I was a little girl. Everyone I've ever known has called me a ' _walking encyclopedia'_ sooner or later. I just retain information really well. I'm also very good at research, and I actually enjoy it. I'm really good at paperwork. Filling out forms, sorting them, etc... I've always had a gift for managing things. And not to brag, but everyone I've ever met has called me 'exceptionally bright', and I've gotten a lot of compliments that I was good at strategics. That's how I beat you at chess the other day."

Sebastian could listen to her talk about herself all day. He wanted to learn everything he possibly could about her. He wanted to learn what he could do to make her smile, to make her laugh, to make her _happy_. Chances were, Ciel would stick her with a position similar to Mey-Rin's, and in Sebastian's eyes, she was too precious, too beautiful, too _perfect_ to clean for a living. There _was_ a position, however, that allowed him to stay close to her _and_ have her not have to do any dirty work. Which was why he made the following suggestion:

"Pardon me." Sebastian said, just as Ciel opened his mouth to speak, "But I think the position that best suits those skills is Head Housekeeper, my young Lord. We don't have one, if you recall." Sebastian said.

" _Head Housekeeper?_ What's that?" Hermione asked.

Ciel sighed and rubbed his temples. "As head housekeeper, you would run the technical sides of the household. You would be in charge of the house and oversee the servant's needs, should problems arise. You would do things like control supply costs, take note of maintenance issues, and oversee budgets and other paperwork. You would also be in charge of charging and calculating the servants' wages. You would help Sebastian run the manor, but take over if his attention was directed elsewhere for whatever reason. Like I said, the technical side of things. No cleaning or dirty work."

"And, she could be taking care of you while I am otherwise occupied." Sebastian said.

"And, would I get paid?"

"Yes, of course you would."

"How much? Just, simple curiosity. I'm not greedy."

"A little bit less than the butler's wage. Still, the second highest paid position in the house."

"Well, how much does Sebastian get paid?"

Ciel and Sebastian sort of froze, and made eye contact. Sebastian had never in all his years of living, had to refrain from laughing as much as he was right now. Ciel had deadpanned, and was giving Sebastian a look that read: _Don't you dare even start_.

Ciel sighed. "That doesn't really matter. _You_ will be receiving 30 pounds per year."

"That sounds fair." Helena said, nodding.

And so, Helena Gryffin became the new Head Housekeeper at the Phantomhive Estate.

* * *

 **Ciel**

Ciel Phantomhive was standing on the staircase in the foyer of the mansion, looking down at the four nervous individuals (minus Sebastian) who made up his small staff. Mey-Rin and Finny were fidgeting nervously and Bard was standing with his arms crossed with his ever-present cigarette pinched between his lips. Then, there was Tanaka, who was just standing there in his chibi form, sipping his tea, laughing quietly to himself. "Oh. Ho. Ho."

Ciel sighed. "No one is in trouble, so you can all relax."

A loud exhale of relief burst out of Mey-Rin and Finny.

"I've summoned you four here to inform you that there will be a new addition to the Phantomhive Staff." Ciel ignored the excited gasps from his servants. "I've hired a housekeeper. She will run the technical side of the household, and you will go to her if any personal problems arise. She is higher up than all of you, and answers only to myself and Sebastian." Ciel extended his arm and said, "Everyone, meet our new head housekeeper, Helena Gryffin."

Helena stepped out and started descending the stairs. She was beautiful, as far as women went, Ciel supposed. That blue and white dress she was wearing looked lovely on her. Since she wasn't technically a 'maid', he wasn't going to give her a 'Uniform' per say, just give her a dress code. Helena smiled as she descended the stairs, her fingers gently touching the railing of the stairs, one hand gripping the front of her dress as she descended the stairs. Her feet making a light tapping sound on the steps as she made her way over to stand next to Sebastian.

Ciel noted that Sebastian had a look on his face. His lips were slightly parted in a silent gasp, and he was staring at her with a look Ciel had never seen before. Awe? Sebastian? Awestruck? But, as quickly as it appeared, the look vanished and his face returned to its usual neutral state.

"Hello. My name is Helena. I'm so excited to work with all of you!" Helena said with a bright smile.

Bard and Finny's jaws dropped, and Finny had sparkles in his eyes.

"Oh my! She's gorgeous, she is!" Mey-Rin exclaimed, holding her hands to her flaming cheeks.

Helena turned scarlet. "Aw! Thank you. You're not so bad, yourself! What's your name?" Helena asked with a cute tilt of her head.

"Oh! I'm the maid. My name's Mey-Rin." Mey-Rin introduced herself with a bow.

"Mey-Rin? I don't think I've ever heard that name before, but I like it. And you're Finny, right? The gardener? You walked me inside." Helena said, turning to Finny.

"Yes, Miss! That's me!" Finny said happily.

"And, who might you two be?" Helena asked, turning to Baldroy and Tanaka.

"I'm Baldroy, the cook. But everyone calls me Bard. This here's Tanaka, he's the steward. He don't talk much." Bard said, jerking a thumb in Tanaka's direction. Tanaka looked over at Helena and laughed. "Oh. Ho. Ho."

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you." Helena said with a warm smile.

From what he had seen of his new housekeeper, this was going to work out just fine. She left one last time to fetch her belongings from where she was apparently living with a friend. As well as to inform said friend that she was moving out. As the horse they had let her borrow got smaller and smaller in the distance, Ciel did not miss Sebastian staring after her until eventually she disappeared. Something was going on with Sebastian, and Ciel was going to figure out what.

* * *

 **Sorry it's a short chapter, but I ran into some writer's block and I'm back, now. Making the chapter this short was just comfortable to the plot. Sorry. But the next chapter will be much longer! Promise!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! REVIEW! See ya'll next time!**

 **-alphashley14**


	5. Chapter 5: Houndsworth Part I

**Hermione**

"Holiday! Holiday! We're going on holiday!" The Phantomhive servants chanted excitedly, flitting around the wooden carriage. The entire Phantomhive household, Servants, Butlers, and The Young Phantomhive himself, were all on their way to Houndsworth. Hermione was seated with Ciel in the first carriage, which Sebastian was driving. Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard were seated in the second carriage, which Tenaka was driving. Knick-knacks was sleeping safe and sound in his cat carrier under Hermione's seat.

Hermione listened to them talking excitedly about their 'holiday' and their Master's 'generosity', and almost felt sorry for them. They had absolutely no idea what they were riding into. It wasn't a resort (yet), that was for sure. She couldn't help but be amused by their antics, and she wondered what their reaction would be when they learned the truth.

"They sound really happy. Why did you tell them we were going to the Queen's resort? Or, bring them at all?" Hermione asked.

"I couldn't leave them there, alone. I might come home to find the manor in shambles." Ciel said.

"Indeed." Sebastian said.

"Come, now. They couldn't possibly be that bad." Hermione chuckled.

"Yes, they could." Sebastian and Ciel said at the same time.

 _It can't be that bad…_ Hermione thought.

They finally arrived at the downright _creepy_ entrance to Houndsworth, a rickety wooden sign with a black dog collar and chain hanging over it, which read ' _Welcome to Houndsworth'_ in large cursive letters. Then there was the graveyard of dog skeletons next to it, and the hundreds of black spiked dog collars hanging from a dead tree next to the road. The wind howled.

The Three Phantomhive Servants in the back screamed in fear.

"Oh, yes. I forgot to mention that the resort the Queen is planning to build has yet to be constructed." Ciel said.

"Yes, Master." The three said miserably. Tenaka just did his usual "Ho-ho" laugh. Hermione immediately felt bad.

"Hey, I was going to see if there were any half-decent book stores or libraries if and when we had the time. If you lot come with me, we can stop by a bakery or something. My treat. Would that turn those frowns upside-down? If it's okay with Ciel- er, the Young Master, that is?" Hermione offered.

"Unless circumstances change, that sounds fine with me." Ciel said.

"Thank you Helena! Thank you, Young Master!" The Servants said together, immediately brightening up, again.

Hermione looked back at the creepy sign and tree. She was getting a 'Resident Evil' kind of feeling from it, but she didn't say that because, obviously, it would be over a hundred years before the first ' _Resident Evil'_ film would be made. So _instead_ , she asked, "Is anyone else getting an ' _Edgar Allen Poe'_ vibe from this, or is that just me?"

" _Doth the Raven,_ " Sebastian said, leaving it hanging.

" _Nevermore_." Hermione finished, not missing a beat.

Speaking of ravens, there was a raven sitting on the sign, watching the travelers with black eyes. But oddly, Hermione smiled at the bird. She didn't know why, but the sight of the raven made her smile. Perhaps it was because it was one of the Hogwarts House mascots, and it was reminding her of home. Yes, surely that was it. But… it reminded her oddly of Sebastian.

She'd often caught herself thinking of the handsome black-haired butler ever since she'd first seen him in that alley, and it seemed to be getting worse the longer she stayed close to him. But, the thing was, she _liked_ being around him. She didn't _want_ to spend any less time with him.

" _Sometimes I'm terrified of my heart; of it's constant hunger for whatever it is it wants, the way it stops and starts._ " Sebastian said, quoting Edgar Allan Poe again.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. _Is he challenging me?_ She thought. Just to test it, Hermione quoted right back, " _Words have no power to express the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality._ "

He chuckled. " _There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion._ " He said.

 _Oh, he is totally challenging me to a Poe-off! Well, when it comes to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, I am no ametuer reader, Sebastian Michaelis!_ Hermione thought.

Hermione smirked. " _There are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told._ "

" _We loved with a love that was more than love._ " Sebastian said. Hermione had to pause to wonder why he chose that particular quote, but perhaps it was just the first one that popped into his head.

"What the bloody hell are they goin' on about?" Baldroy asked in the other carriage.

"Don't know. It sounds like they're reciting some poetry." Finny said.

"It's awfully pretty, that is! Helena and Sebastian sure are smart, yes they are!" Mey-Rin said.

"We get it, you two know a great deal of Edgar Allan Poe. Now do cut it out. We need to keep moving."

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said with a respectful dip of his head.

Everyone settled down, and they started moving.

"You know, Helena, you didn't have to do that." Sebastian said, referring to Helena's offer to take Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard out for sweets. "You don't want to spoil them."

"I know. And I won't. I just don't like seeing people unhappy. Never have." Hermione shrugged.

They continued on for some time before Finny pointed and said, "Look! Somebody actually lives here!" He was looking at an old woman in a cloak, who was pushing a baby carriage, which seemed to be stuck in a ditch. Upon Finny's request, the carriages stopped and Finny jumped out to help the old lady, which Hermione thought was awfully sweet of him.

Just As Finny lifted the baby carriage high above his head (much to Hermione's surprise), Mey-Rin yelled, "No! You shouldn't do that, Finny! If you aren't careful, you might hurt the baby!"

Alarmed by her words, Finny dropped the carriage. The Servants quickly rushed over to check if the babe was okay, and concerned, Hermione jumped out to do the same. Everyone got quizzical looks on their faces when they saw that there was in fact no baby, but a dog's skeleton wrapped in a baby's blanket.

"There is no babe. There is no baby, anymore. The child was eaten by _it_." The old woman said. Then she walked down the road singing softly, " _The white dog is a good dog. A good dog, a good dog. The black dog is a bad dog. A bad dog, bad._ "

 _If Sirius ever went here, he'd either be treated like a god or like the devil._ Hermione thought. Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard seemed to be frozen in shock and horror. Hermione, who had seen much weirder and worse at Hogwarts and during the War, simply said (with sarcasm), "Well, that wasn't creepy at all."

"That's why we're here." Ciel said. "Apparently a lot of the villagers have been violently killed or gone missing. The village has shrunk to a third of its size in the last ten years. A part of my task is to find out why and put an end to the problem." Ciel said.

"Sounds dangerous. I'm glad I came!" Hermione said with a grin.

Eventually, they came to a dreary little village on the edge of a beautiful blue lake. Hermione smiled, admiring the sparkling blue water from a distance. The servants ogled at it, as well. When they pulled into town, they spotted a rather fair young man training one of his many dogs. The dog performed a trick, then ran up to his Master for kind words, pets, and a hug.

"I'd let him pet me, yes I would!" Mey-Rin said, blushing and looking at the young man.

"Mey-Rin!" Hermione fake-scolded.

"Oh, don't pretend you wouldn't like it, too!" Mey-Rin said. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Sebastian shoot Mey-Rin a death glare over his shoulder, which she didn't see, then she saw him look at the young man. Why he'd do that, Hermione wasn't sure.

She ignored it and replied, "Actually, I like looking a man inside and out before I decide whether or not I'm interested. It's better to have a responsible, ugly man who loves, respects, and listens to you, than the most handsome man in the world… who happens to be an irresponsible drunk who beats his wife and children." Hermione said, turning around in her seat to face Mey-Rin.

"Bit of a harsh way to put it, but I s'pose you're right." Bard said.

Hermione smiled and turned back around in her seat. Was it just her, or did she catch a _relieved_ look on Sebastian's face before he turned around?

"He manipulates the creature with rewards and punishments." Sebastian observed. "He commands the mutt's obedience, but the dog isn't blameless, either. It follows it's human, welcomes the chain around its neck. I can't understand it."

"That's the way society is as a whole, isn't it? We follow our royalty, Lords, Ladies, and politicians and, for the most part, accept the laws, the metaphorical ' _leashes'_ they place on us. In exchange, we get order, schools, protection, libraries, money, all the things a civilized society has to offer. That is simply the dog's way of getting order in it's life. If it wasn't following it's master, it would be following the Alpha of a pack. And you must keep in mind that dogs are much simpler-minded than we are. Things aren't quite so complicated to them. What was your point?" Hermione asked.

"You make an excellent point, Helena. But I wasn't trying to go into anything deeper. I was simply stating that, while I love cats, I'm not especially fond of dogs. To be completely frank, I hate them." He said, turning slightly with a pleasant smile.

There was a pause, then Ciel said, messing with his Butler, "Woof."

Hermione shrugged, going with it, and said, "Meow."

She paused, then had a thought, and said, "I had a friend once who acted a lot like a dog. If people could turn into animals, he'd probably be one." She said, fondly remembering Sirius Black.

Sebastian turned slightly. "Had?" He inquired, quirking an eyebrow.

Hermione remembered that horrible day in the Department of Mysteries, when the fun-loving Marauder had died. "He was murdered by a lunatic criminal. He was a very good man and a dear friend. I don't like talking about it." Hermione said.

"What was his name?" Ciel asked.

"Sirius Black. He was my best friend's Godfather." Hermione said. She saw no harm in giving Sirius's name. There was no way to interfere with _his_ timeline. He wasn't _here_.

"Hm. Odd name." Sebastian remarked.

They kept going, and a few minutes later, they pulled up to a rather run-down looking mansion on top of a hill overlooking the town. A maid dressed in purple and white came out to meet them.

"I presume this is the Earl of Phantomhive?" She asked Sebastian.

"Yes." He replied.

"Welcome to Barrymore Castle. My Master awaits your arrival." She said with a bow.

 _This is a castle?_ Hermione wondered. This manor was smaller than Phantomhive Manor _and_ Malfoy Manor, and they called it a _castle_? She'd seen castles. She'd gone to school and fought a battle in one. This, was no castle. But, she held her tongue.

Hermione took a better look at the maid. She was smiling sweetly, her short hair was white with a slight blue sheen to it. She was looking up at Sebastian with enticing violet eyes. Hermione looked at her, and decided immediately that she didn't trust her. Something about her just wasn't right. Her appearance and grace were almost _inhumanly_ perfect. _Just like Sebastian_ … But Hermione wasn't getting the same feeling from Sebastian. Hermione glanced at the Butler to see that he had his eyes narrowed at her. So, it wasn't just her. Sebastian was sensing something, too. Hermione trusted her own judgement, and so far, she had no reason not to trust Sebastian's. _I'll just keep my eye on her._ Hermione decided.

Behind her, Hermione could hear the Servants talking about how beautiful the Maid was, and when she turned around, she knew Finny had a crush as soon as she saw the starry look on his face.

Hermione and Sebastian followed close behind Ciel as the Maid led them inside. Once they were inside, Hermione saw the architecture and understood why they called it a 'castle' with its architecture, high ceilings, and lavish furnishings, but it was still _nothing_ compared to Hogwarts.

The Maid led them into a lounge on the second floor, the walls were decorated with the heads of many wild beasts. Hermione scowled at the sight. She'd always hated hunting for sport. It was pointless, cruel, and wasteful. Hermione heard a cry of fear and apin from the Maid, and looked over to see a man she presumed was Lord Barrymore, striking her repeatedly with a whip. "Who is this chiuaua?! I told you to bring me the Queen's guard dog when he arrived!" He asked angrily as he struck her, again.

The thought as to why the bloody hell he kept a full-sized whip _in his house_ to be used at any time crossed her mind (perhaps he was just that cruel), but Hermione was the first to run over and grab the man's arm before he could strike her, again. Hermione didn't care that she didn't trust the Maid, no living creature deserved to be treated that way.

* * *

 **Sebastian**

The longer he was with her, the harder he was falling. It was funny, really. In may ways, she was everything he _wasn't_. He was cruel, she was kind. He criticized, she complimented. He was selfish, she was selfless. He was tainted, she was pure. He was dark, she was light. He was a beast, she was a beauty. But in many other ways, he'd never met someone so much like him.

She liked just about everything he did (minus killing people, watching people suffer, and eating human souls). They both loved cats, and while he _hated_ dogs, according to Helena, it depended on the dog, for her. Some, she liked, others, she _tolerated_ , and others she didn't like at all. They both liked literature, that was for sure. Helena was definitely one of if not _the_ smartest humans Sebastian had ever met, and she was a _woman_.

It was hard to find a well-educated woman in this era, with the male-is-superior views of the time. Personally, Sebastian liked a well-educated woman, and had looked for intelligence as well as beauty the few times throughout history he'd tried (unsuccessfully) looking for a mate. He didn't want a pretty slave labeled ' _wife'_ or ' _mate'_ like some male demons did, Sebastian wanted a _partner_. His soulmate was _exactly_ what he'd been looking for. She was witty, she was beautiful, she was kind, and she was strong. Not physically strong, she was human after all, but mentally. She was the light to balance out his darkness.

She ran up to Lord Barrymore with absolutely no fear and grabbed his arm, preventing him from striking the Maid, again. He and Ciel merely deadpanned at Ciel being called a ' _Chiuaua'_. The people in this town had dog issues. Sebastian only moved when Lord Barrymore made a move to strike Helena with an angry shout of, "What are you doing, you collie? Unhand me! A bitch like you should be trained better!" Sebastian grabbed the angry man's arm just an inch away from his soulmate's perfect face. If he wasn't under contract, this man would be dead for both insulting and so much as _attempting_ to strike Helena. Maybe he would come back and kill him once his contract with Ciel was over. "How dare you?! Let me go, you filthy doberman!" Lord Barrymore shouted. Oh, and now he'd compared Sebastian to a filthy dog. Yep, Sebastian wanted to kill him.

"Congratu-bloody-lations, you beat someone who couldn't and wouldn't fight back. How does that make you feel? Proud? Better about your own sorry existence? And for what? She _was_ following your orders, you swine! You shouldn't jump to conclusions. You never know where you might land." Helena spat at him.

"Why you-"

"They are under my orders." Ciel said, getting the man's attention.

"Who are you?" Lord Barrymore asked.

"From the sound of it, you have already received the letter I sent." Ciel said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "My name is Ciel, the Earl of Phantomhive."

Lord Barrymore jerked himself out of Sebastian and Helena's grasps, and Sebastian was quick to gently place his hands on Helena's shoulders and move her away from the dislikeable Lord. "Do you mean to tell me a toy poodle like you is the queen's envoy?!" He demanded.

"As my Head Housekeeper said, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Do you not like small breeds, Lord Henry? That's hardly fair." Ciel said.

Lord Barrymore took a step back and glanced over at Sebastian and Helena, getting a proper look at Helena in the process. His expression immediately changed from scowling to what Sebastian supposed was supposed to be a charming smile. Helena noticed, and raised an eyebrow.

"My, I wouldn't have acted so harshly had I known that fiery voice belonged to such a beautiful maiden. Who might you be, Miss?"

Sebastian could see in his mind's eye the downright _evil_ look Helena had on her face. "Ah, so you'd actually like to know the name of the ' _bitch collie'_ , would you? It's Helena Gryffin, Head Housekeeper of Phantomhive." Helena said in a forced-sweet voice.

"Yes, and the ' _filthy doberman'_ behind her is Sebastian Michaelis, my butler." Ciel said. "Touch my housekeeper, and he'll probably rip your arms off. Now, we have business to attend to." Ciel said.

* * *

 **Hermione**

Eventually, they were all settled down and the two Lords were seated. Hermione stood behind Ciel, and the Maid _tried_ to pour tea. Her hands were so bruised, they were shaking, making the task difficult, so Sebastian offered to take it from her and poured it for her (Hermione thought that was very sweet of him) while the two Lords began to negotiate.

"There's nothing to discuss. Under no circumstances will I sell Barrymore Castle to anybody." Lord Barrymore said stubbornly, crossing his arms.

"Why is that?" Ciel asked.

"Because of the curse." Lord Barrymore replied. That quirked Hermione's attention. Were there witches and wizards in this village? Was this ' _curse'_ a result of dark wizard activity?

"Oh? What curse?"

"This village and its' dogs have existed for centuries. Anyone who interferes with us will be cursed in a most horrible way." Lord Barrymore stood up. "Even the Queen cannot lift the curse! Your mission is pointless. Anyone who goes against the wishes of the Barrymore family is destined to meet a very terrible end!"

Hermione knew immediately that everything that had just come out of Lord Barrymore's mouth was bullshit. Lord Barrymore was no wizard, Hermione could sense that much.

"My, how interesting." His Young Master replied.

"What?!"

"You've peaked my curiosity. I'd like to see this dreadful curse of yours, Lord Henry." Ciel said.

Lord Henry Barrymore seethed.

* * *

After the initial meeting with Lord Barrymore, Hermione was dismissed to do whatever she wanted until further notice. She wasn't Ciel's butler, and her position as head housekeeper meant that her job was not to cook, clean, or do any of the 'legwork' that was required of Mey-Rin, Bard, Finny, Tanaka, or Sebastian. So, she did what she did best. Angela gave her directions to the library, and Hermione started doing research. She _was_ looking for books about demons, because after reading _Demons and Reapers_ , she couldn't help but be intrigued about the subject. She didn't find exactly what she was looking for, but she _did_ find a _very_ interesting book called ' _The Curse of Houndsworth, The Demon Hound of Barrymore'_. She flipped through the first few pages, decided she wanted to read it, and curled up on a couch in front of the large burning fireplace, reading each page and devouring the valuable knowledge within.

She didn't know how long she'd been reading, but she was about ten pages or so away from finishing the book, when she heard the door open and close. She looked up, but there was no one there. She shrugged to herself, and looked back down at the book. She had just finished the page when she felt a hand brush her hair. Hermione turned, and found herself _literally_ nose-to-nose staring straight into deep red eyes. Surprised, Hermione and Sebastian did not move for several seconds. They just kind of sat there, staring into each other's' eyes, brown locked on deep red while their minds processed: ' _Person: staring at me. There's a person. Hello, person. Yikes! Ahh! Person!'_ Hermione finally jumped with a loud squeal, breaking Sebastian free of the 'spell' in the process.

"Helena! Please! Pardon me!" Sebastian said, backing up.

"Sebastian! It's you. You scared me half to death!"

"Do forgive me, I was leaning in like that because I wanted to see what you were reading, then I noticed you had a lock of hair in your mouth and was trying to fix it. I didn't mean to startle you. You looked up when I entered, so I thought you were aware of my presence."

"It's alright, but my God, make some _noise_ when you move!"

He smiled. "I shall try."

"So, what brings you to the library, Sebastian?" Hermione asked.

"I was curious as to your whereabouts. I couldn't find you, anywhere. The maid, Angela, informed me that you had gone to the library."

"Ah, yes. Reading is my favorite pastime, whether it be fiction or non. The Servants didn't want my help because what they were doing isn't in my job description, and you and Ciel didn't need me at the moment, so I asked Angela to give me directions to the library."

"I, myself do enjoy a good piece of literature. Do tell me, what are you reading?"

"Oh! This? It's quite interesting. I think it's the curse Lord Barrymore was talking about, earlier." Hermione said. Keeping one finger inside the book to hold her place, Hermione showed Sebastian the cover.

"' _The Curse of Houndsworth, the Demon Hound of Barrymore'_. Yes, that certainly fits what Lord Barrymore was saying, earlier." Sebastian said. "Would you care to tell me about it?" He asked.

"Of course, please, sit down." Hermione said.

Sebastian hesitated, then sat down next to Hermione. "Out of simple curiosity, how long have you been reading that book?" Sebastian asked, looking at the book.

"Well, what time is it?" Hermione asked.

"It is seven o'clock."

"Huh, I thought it had been longer. We arrived at about four, I got in here at about four thirty, and I spent about five minutes looking around before I found it. So, an hour and twenty-five minutes?"

"What page are you on?"

Hermione looked. "I was just a few words away from turning to page three-hundred ninety-four when you came in." Hermione said.

Sebastian looked startled. "You mean you read three-hundred ninety three pages in just under an hour and a half?! That's… almost three pages a minute! Only twenty seconds per page! How fast do you read?"

"My reading and comprehension skills have always been incredibly fast and incredibly high. The average words per minute is two-hundred twenty-eight words per minute for the english language. _I_ read at three-hundred twenty-five words per minute."

"That's very impressive!"

"Really, it's nothing!" Hermione said, blushing.

"Honestly, you're being modest!"

Just then, both of them gasped and looked down. In Sebastian's excitement, he'd leaned towards her, and had accidentally placed his hand over hers. They looked back over at each other, both blushing profusely, then at the same time, scooted away from each other awkwardly.

"Dear me, why am I always doing awkward things when I'm alone with you?" Sebastian asked, a bead of nervous sweat running down his forehead.

"Er, I don't know. Anyway, you wanted to know what I learned from this book?" Hermione asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Er, yes, that would be lovely." Sebastian said.

"Well, Lord Barrymore told us there was a curse, but what he _didn't_ tell us was that supposedly, one of his ancestors made a deal with a fallen angel, and the angel gave the Barrymore family a demon hound, which supposedly protects the Barrymore family and kills anyone who disrespects, disobeys, or otherwise tries to harm them. In other words, this demon hound kills anyone who tries to take Houndsworth from the Barrymores, and it kills any of the villagers who break even the tiniest law. That's why they respect dogs so much, and why they're so… weird about the law. Anyone who breaks the tiniest, itty-bittiest little law, rule, or regulation instated by the Barrymore family _dies_."

"Sounds like a scare tactic to me." Sebastian said.

"Maybe, but Lord Barrymore sure seemed to believe it, and so did the villagers."

"Ah!"

"What is it, Sebastian?"

"Dear me, I got so caught up talking to you, I nearly forgot. I was looking for you because it is time for dinner." He stood up and offered his hand. "Come, now. We musn't keep the Young Master waiting any longer. Than after dinner, come up to the Young Master's room and we shall show him the information in this book. You never know, it could prove useful in this case."

* * *

Hermione knocked on Ciel's door not long after dinner. When his voice said, "Come in," Hermione entered to find the Young Lord reading a book by the fire while Sebastian was getting his night clothes out.

"Pardon me, Lord. But I found something in the library, earlier. I think it's about the curse Lord Barrymore was talking about, earlier." Hermione said, showing him the book.

"Really, do tell." Ciel said with a smile, closing his own book and turning around to look at her.

Just as Hermione was opening her mouth to speak, there was a second knock at the door.

"Enter." Ciel said. The door opened, and Angela walked in. Hermione placed the book behind her back on impulse.

"Forgive me for calling so late." Angela said in a timid voice that Hermione didn't buy for a second.

"What is it that you need? My Young Master is just about to retire for the evening." Sebastian said.

She gulped nervously, then said, "I have a request to make. Leave the castle. Leave the village, completely. You musn't stay here."

"Why is that?" Ciel asked.

"I can't say." Angela replied, turning away.

"Is it because of the _demon hound_ , Angela?" Hermione asked.

"Demon Hound?" Ciel inquired, looking at Hermione with a puzzled look.

Angela looked startled. "H-how do you know about that?"

"If you don't want people to know things, you really shouldn't put books in the library about them." Hermione said, bringing the book out from behind her back.

Just then, there was a blood curdling howl from outside.

"No! The demon hound! It's coming!" Angela cied, trembling. Then, she cried out in fear, looking at the window. Sebastian, Ciel, and Hermione looked, and there was a silhouette of a huge dog's head in the curtains. Sebastian ran over and drew back the curtains, but there was nothing there.

"What was that thing?" Ciel asked.

"Master, look there." Sebastian said, pointing. Hermione looked, and there was… _something_ glowing off in the distance, running in the direction of the village, leaving a trail of glowing green footprints behind it.

Hermione, Ciel, Sebastian, and Angela ran out of the manor. There was nothing outside but a trail of glowing pawprints leading towards the village.

Ciel and Hermione knelt down to get a closer look, and both of them ran a finger through the stuff, getting a bit on the digits to look closer at the substance. "It looks like-"

Just then, the Phantomhive Servants ran out of the manor in their nightclothes.

"Master!"

"Angela!"

"What's goin' on here, what's the fuss about?"

"The demon hound is here." Angela said.

"Demon hound?" The servants said simultaneously.

"It brings catastrophe to the village. Anyone who dares to defy my master will be punished by the demon hound. That's the law here. There is no way to stop it."

Hermione didn't believe a word of it. It was absolutely preposterous. Not to mention that she recognized the substance on the ground.

Just then, a crowd of villagers with torches walked up. "Angela!" The one at the lead said. "Please find Lord Barrymore at once. The demon hound has come, again."

"Who was the punished one?" Angela asked, sounding alarmed.

* * *

Ciel knelt down to examine the bite-covered corpse of the very same man Mey-Rin had been admiring, earlier. Hermione shivered. She hadn't seen a dead body since the war, and it brought back memories she'd tried so hard to forget. She started backing away, but bumped into Sebastian's strong chest.

"Have you never seen a body before, Helena?" He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"I have it's just… been awhile." Hermione replied with a shudder. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and Hermione immediately felt safe. "Thank you." She muttered.

"How awful." Bard commented.

Ciel picked up one of the dead man's arms, looking down at it completely unbothered. What had he been through that he looked at a corpse without even flinching? Hermione wanted to strangle whoever was responsible.

"Stand back! Don't touch!" A familiar voice barked. Lord Barrymore stepped out of the crowd. "I see it was James, then. He was the bad dog." He said.

"Yes. He broke the legal restriction on dog ownership. He had six dogs, one more than is allowed."

"You mean people _die_ around here just because they kept one more _dog_ than allowed?! Does no one but me think that a bit harsh?!" Hermione demanded.

"This village is under m rule and no other. The demon hound protects that rule. As guardian of the Barrymore Family, it destroys anyone and everyone who dares to challenge me!"

 _How has no one in this village put together that this man is a crazed, power-hungry control freak? He killed this man, not any demon hound!_ Hermione thought.

" _The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad. He eats your flesh down to the bone. Down. To. The bone. He'll gobble you up until you're gone. Until. You're. Gone. Nevermind the sunset, nevermind the night._ " The villagers chanted, as they carried the body away.

"I was sure you outsiders were going to be its' next prey. You were lucky to have escaped." Lord Barrymore said. Then he and Angela followed the crowd.

"Well, Master?" Sebastian asked Ciel.

Ciel turned to Hermione. "Helena, you were about to say something before, but you were interrupted by the Servants. You think you've figured something out?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I recognized the glowing green stuff back at the manor. It was phosphorescent powder." Hermione said.

"What's that?"

"Phosphorescent materials are charged by sunlight. Once it gets dark, they glow in the dark, but don't give off any heat. If I were to guess, I'd say someone put the stuff on a normal dog and had it run by the mansion and to the village, giving off the illusion of some ghost or demon dog running to the village. As for the shadow, it looked fake, to me."

"What makes you say that?" Ciel asked.

"Didn't you notice? It didn't move. Dogs don't usually hold their mouths open like that unless growling or panting, and you'd be able to see the tongue, lips, or body moving as it did, yet it didn't move. Like a statue. Then when Sebastian moved the curtain, we didn't see it move, it was simply gone. Sounds fishy, to me."

"You point out interesting points." Sebastian said.

Ciel deadpanned. "Helena, is there anything you _don't_ know?"

"What? I read a lot." She shrugged.

"Then what about the dead man?" Bard asked.

"It could be a trained dog. But trust me when I say that _anything_ is possible."

* * *

 **So sorry for the long wait, guys! I got distracted working on other things and left this story to gather dust! Sorry** **about that! But unfortunately, I cannot promise it won't happen again.**

 **I hoped you guys liked it! Be sure to review!**

 **-alphashley14**


	6. Chapter 6: Houndsworth Part II

**Hermione**

The next day, to make it up to the servants for the ' _holiday'_ turning out so terrible and to lift everyone's spirits after the dark events of the previous night, the Phantomhive household went down to the beach with a wonderful picnic lunch Sebastian made. Hermione laughed, watching Bard and Finny chasing each other around in the water, splashing about and yelling like a couple of idiots. She giggled at the looks on their faces when Mey-Rin came out of the changing room, donned in a lovely pink and white victorian-era women's swimsuit. Mey-Rin was so embarrassed, it was adorable. But, the boys (plus Tenaka) offered words of encouragement. Bard said something about Mey-Rin taking her glasses off, and Hermione couldn't contain her laughter as Mey-Rin ran into the water and started splashing the boys.

"Hey! I'm going to put my suit on and come in, too!" Hermione yelled at them, leaving Ciel and Sebastian on the beach to talk about… whatever they talked about.

* * *

 **Ciel**

"Don't you care to bathe with them, Young Master?" Sebastian asked Ciel. Ciel was looking at his book, but he could see out of the corner of his eye that the demon butler's eyes were trained on Helena, watching her jog over to the changing room and disappear inside. Only when she was completely out of sight did Sebastian actually look directly at Ciel.

 _What makes her so special that he looks at her like that? Why does he look at her at all?_ Ciel wondered, but he still held his tongue. He _was_ going to find out the answer to that question, but he wanted to have only one mystery going on at a time. Once the case with the demon hound was settled, he would ask Sebastian about it.

When Ciel did not reply to Sebastian's question about going swimming, the butler looked away and chuckled. "Oh, I see. Is that the problem? Is it because the Master can't-"

"I don't see why they're making such a fuss about this little pond." Ciel interrupted, "Just because you can bathe doesn't make it a resort." Ciel _could_ swim, if that was what Sebastian was insinuating. But, he didn't want to.

"You still intend to make this place into a resort, then?" Sebastian asked.

"Naturally."

"But what about this great demon hound?"

"Surely you know as well as I by now that this demon hound is no dog."

The knowing smile and small head bow told Ciel that Sebastian was quite aware.

"Shall we discuss it further?" The Young Earl asked.

Ciel had just finished giving Sebastian his orders when suddenly, it was quiet. No distant laughter, yelling, or splashing from the Servants. Master and butler looked up, and saw why. Helena had walked out of the changing stall, wearing a swimsuit identical in design to Mey-Rin's. But instead of white and pink, Helena's was red and gold, and she wasn't wearing a hat, like Mey-Rin was. The color combo was odd, but it looked beautiful on her.

"Oh my, Helena, you look lovely, yes you do!" Mey-Rin shouted at her.

"Aw, thanks Mey-Rin! Now look out, here I come!" Helena shouted, running into the water. And the chaos continued.

Ciel glanced over at Sebastian.

"Sebastian, do you have a nosebleed?" Ciel asked. His butler had a look on his face, a small blush in his cheeks, and a small trail of blood coming out of his nose.

The butler gulped and cleared his throat. "It would seem I do, Young Lord." He replied quietly, wiping the blood away. "I'll be off to complete your orders, then."

"You're very cooperative. Especially for someone who hates dogs." Ciel said in an almost sarcastic manner.

"Yes, I detest them. That's why I'd like to finish this as quickly as possible." Sebastian said, turning and walking away. "Preferably before it all goes to hell."

And Ciel could have sworn the demon butler muttered something else under his breath. He couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Sebastian muttered to himself something along the lines of, "That woman's going to be the death of me."

* * *

 **Hermione**

Some time after Sebastian left to do whatever it was Ciel ordered him to do, Hermione was sitting on a picnic blanket with the other Servants plus Angela, whom although she didn't swim, she sat on the beach and watched. They were eating the simply wonderful luncheon that Sebastian had prepared for them, and it was delicious. Sebastian really did know how to cook.

Just then, there were shouts from the village. "We got im'! The bad dog's been caught! We got James's dog! Hurry! The punishment is about to begin!"

Punishment? This could not be good. Hermione had a feeling that the entire afternoon was about to go to hell.

* * *

Hermione ran up to the scene just behind Ciel, with the other servants following close behind. A bell rang somewhere off in the distance. The villagers were crowded around a large wall on the side of a hill, which was in the shape of a semicircle. The bottom half of the wall was made of stone, while the top half of the wall was made of wooden poles sharpened at the tops. There was a rather good-looking dog chained to the wall. He was a broad creature with pointy ears, and he was dark gray, but had a tan underside and legs. He was standing in a defensive position, growling at the crowd. There was something in his mouth. A man walked up to him with a large blunt stick in hand.

"Bad dog! Let go!" The man said, jerking at the object, trying to get the dog to let it go. The dog only growls in response, not budging. So, the man started beating the poor thing in the head with the stick shouting, "Bad dog! Let go! Let go!" _Leave the poor thing alone._ Hermione silently willed. _He hasn't done anything. Stop it!_

And Lord Barrymore was watching from the front of the crowd with an unusually smug look on his face.

 _That bastard's enjoying every second of this._ Hermione thought. And that really pissed her off. But just as Hermione opened her mouth to say something, Lord Barrymore said, "What a bad dog. It deserves punishment." He turned to the villagers. "Get started!"

On his word, several of the villagers released dogs, which they had been holding back by their collars. Large, snarling creatures. Bred, raised, and trained to obey their masters and to have a taste for the blood of their own kind. But they were good dogs, Hermione knew. Even as they attacked James' loyal dog, chained to the wall, outnumbered, and unable to defend itself from their merciless bites, Hermione knew they were good dogs. Because there were no bad dogs. Only bad owners. And their owners were very bad, indeed. Listening to them and the other villagers cheering on the terrible spectacle with excited voices made Hermione absolutely sick.

She probably would have done something… but Finny snapped, first. "JUST LET THE POOR THING GO!" He yelled behind her. Immediately, the yelling stopped and all eyes turned to the strawberry blond. Finny ran towards them and ripped a pole out of the ground. _Holy crap, Finny! That thing is twice your size! How the bloody hell are you lifting that?!_ Hermione wondered briefly. But she didn't have long to ponder it, as Finny ran through the crowd, pole in hand, yelling "STOP THIS NOW!" and swung it hard, hitting all of the trained dogs off of their prey with multiple loud yelps of pain and surprise. In the crowd, an old woman screamed and fainted. _Seriously?_ Hermione thought. _These people really do over react. Was that really worth fainting over?_

The Phantomhive household ran around the crowd to stand between them and their comrade, looking down at Finny, concerned. The sound of footsteps made Hermione and the others turn around. The villagers were taking threatening steps towards them, holding pitchforks, scythes, large sticks, and other common-farm-tools-turned-weapons that one would expect in an angry mob. They were talking amongst one another.

"This is bad."

"They intervened!"

"They interrupted!"

"What are they doing?"

Then, someone said the word punishment, and the word spread through the crowd like wildfire. And before Hermione knew it, cries of ' _bad dog_ ' were being directed at them. It was just too much. She hated it! Why did people like this exist? It was like looking at a mirror-image of the Dark Lord and his followers. But the snakes had been replaced by dogs. Hermione could feel her magic prickling at her fingertips, ready to lash out. But Hermione knew she couldn't do anything. For the time line's sake and for the sake of the Magical Community's statute of secrecy.

So, Hermione had little choice other than to allow them to bind her on the ground with ropes around her arms, her hands tied behind her back, and her feet tied together. Ciel was chained to the wall behind her, and the other four Phantomhive servants were tied up and gagged to the very same pole Finny had wielded just a minute ago.

"Not so powerful now, are you?" Lord Barrymore asked rhetorically with a hint of smugness to his obnoxious voice. Hermione could plainly see that he was trying not to smile. Angela made a plea for their lives, and her abusive master actually listened.

"You have a point. This little Pomeranian is the Queen's guard dog, after all. If he can be made to see reason, then perhaps I'll let him go."

Hermione turned to look back at Ciel as Lord Barrymore addressed him. The look on the Young Lord's face quite plainly read that he did not give a rat's ass as Barrymore made the classic leave-and-never-come-back offer.

"You're so pathetic. Relying on lowly tricks to attain your meager power. If there's a stubborn dog here, I'd say I'm looking at him." Ciel replied.

"Fine." Barrymore growled. Then, he turned to Hermione with that attempted charming smile on his face, again. _Flirt. I freaking dare you._ Hermione thought, immediately knowing exactly what to say to reject and humiliate him. "My dear collie, Helena was it, marry me and become the Lady of the Barrymore estate, and you shan't share the same fate as these bad dogs."

"Go eat dog shit, _Barrywhore_." Hermione spat. Then, she promptly stuck her tongue out at him.

Very few of the villagers actually looked offended. Most busted out laughing, and a few bit their lower lip to refrain from doing so.

Barrymore growled. "If that's your final choice, you can find out what happens to a dog that challenges or refuses me! Get them both!" He ordered. And on his word, the dogs were released once more. But this time, Hermione and Ciel were the targets.

According to the statute of secrecy, the use of magic in front of a muggle or muggles was allowed if the witch/wizard who did it truly believed their lives were at risk. This situation was certainly matching that description, and Hermione had every intention of living long enough to return to June, 2002. But as she prepared the wandless spell, a large black blur flew in front of her, and all five hounds were thrown backwards by one powerful strike and a loud yelp. Said blur, was Sebastian Michaelis.

This was the second time the black butler had saved her life.

"Sebastian?" Hermione muttered.

"You cut that close." Ciel said, actually sounding relieved.

"It won't happen again. _Trust me._ " Sebastian said, fixing one of his white gloves.

"You dare interfere, dog?" Barrymore asked angrily. Then, he addressed the snarling animals in front of him, waiting for his command. "Well, what are you mangy mutts waiting for? Kill all three of them right now!" The dogs' muscles tensed, poised to spring.

Looking directly at the growling dogs, Sebastian said, "Shameful. Such coarse, noisy growls they have. Yet another reason I despise these creatures." He said. Hermione could have sworn that for a moment, something in the atmosphere around Sebastian changed, right then. And then, all of the dogs got into defensive positions on the ground, whimpering submissively.

Sebastian was in front of her. She was on the ground, staring at his back.

She didn't see his eyes flash from that lovely deep red to bright fuchsia.

The villagers gasped. "What the hell?! What did you do?!" Barrymore demanded. Hermione was wondering the same thing.

"Your farce ends here, Barrymore!" Ciel said. Then, he raised his voice to address the villagers. "Listen! There is no demon hound! It's all a lie! Just an old man obsessed with power and determined to keep it, no matter what!"

"What evidence do you have?" Barrymore demanded.

"There's this." Sebastian said, procuring a dog's skull. "We found it in your mansion. I took the liberty of checking that the teeth marks on James matched the teeth in this skull."

There were gasps from the villagers, and Barrymore's face clearly read: ' _Oh, shit. They actually_ do _have something!'_

"Do you see it now?" Sebastian asked, pointing at the sky. Hermione and everyone else looked, and there was the same image they'd seen on the window the previous night, shining up on the gray clouds. It was a circular shape with a dog's head in the middle. It quite obviously was some sort of projection. _Knew it._ Hermione thought.

"It is nothing more than a projection." Sebastian explained. "Just a trick… As for the glowing, Miss Helena Gryffin here recognized it immediately as phosphorescent dust. It was sprinkled on a normal dog." Sebastian said. And just to prove it, he pulled a vial of the stuff out of his jacket and sprinkled some on his gloves, showing the villagers the same green glow emanating from the stuff that they commonly saw on the supposed 'demon hound' that ran through town every so often.

"You see? The demon hound is fake. It's just a story made up by an evil man. _This man_ , Henry Barrymore. The man you let rule your village!" Ciel said, sounding rather triumphant.

"No! It's all nonsense! Where's your evidence?!" Barrymore demanded.

Hermione rolled her eyes. _Honestly, how can one man be so stupid and stubborn! Even Ron would know to give up at this point!_ She thought. Then, Hermione let him have it.

" _Firstly_ , the skull was in _your_ mansion, you _git_!" There were a few gasps at the language coming from a woman, but Hermione could care less. " _Secondly_ , you're the only one in town who could _afford_ to buy that much phosphorescent dust that often. _Thirdly_ , you're also one of the only ones in the village who could afford the projector, _plus_ there's the cost of the powder. And finally, there's the scrap of cloth in the dog's mouth." Hermione said, jerking her head over to the poor injured animal to her left.

She could sense Ciel smirking behind her, and Sebastian, though just as surprised as everyone else at her choice of words, was biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Well said, Helena." Ciel said.

Sebastian walked over to the dog and knelt down in front of it. "You can rest in peace. Your work is done, I'll take it from here." He said, taking the scrap of cloth from the dog's jaws. There was a gentleness to his voice that surprised Hermione, considering how much he hated dogs.

The dog whimpered one last time and closed his eyes. Hermione felt her heart clench, but she knew that he was resting in peace. He was probably running so fast right at that moment. Chest heaving, tongue lolling out of his mouth, tail wagging, feet pounding beneath him. Through the sky, above the clouds, into the stars, and to the gates of heaven, where his beloved master was waiting for him with open arms and a giant smile on his face.

Sebastian stood up, cloth in hand. "Such fine material. Why was the dog so desperate to hold onto it until the very end? Odd thing to do. Don't you think?" Sebastian said accusingly. He turned around to show the scrap of cloth. It was the same pattern as the pants Barrymore had been wearing, yesterday.

"What the hell?"

"Yours. A piece of cloth from your pants. Torn off by James' dog when you attacked his master. You recognize it, don't you?" Sebastian asked accusingly.

Barrymore backed up, and turned to run. But the villagers already had him surrounded. They were murmuring among themselves.

"How could you do this?"

"We listened to you!"

"You were the one who killed James!"

"Give up Barrymore! It's all over, now!" Ciel shouted.

The murmuring turned into a roaring chant of "PUNISH JAMES' KILLER! PUNISH JAMES' KILLER!" as the villagers grabbed Barrymore and lifted up the leg of his pants, displaying a nasty bite mark where James' dog had bitten the murdering Lord.

Hermione watched the villagers hoist up Barrymore and carry him away. She jumped when she felt someone touch her. She looked up. It was Sebastian, again. He was untying the ropes around her arms. They fell off of her body and pooled around her, and he sat her up and started working on her wrists. "Are you alright, Helena? He didn't touch you, did he?"

"No. But he asked me to marry him! Ugg! Can you imagine? Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless… _tosser!_ "

"It's not a pretty picture." Sebastian chuckled as the knot finally came undone. As soon as her wrists were free, Hermione checked them out. There was a cut on each of her wrists where the ropes had been on too tight. _Damn. If only I could heal this with magic. This is going to take a while to heal._

"Are you hurt?" Sebastian asked again, clearly catching her wince.

"Just a scratch. It's nothing." She shrugged. Still, he gently grabbed her hands and looked at the injuries with a disapproving look on his face.

"I'll be attending to this when we get back to Barrymore manor. So please, don't do anything that could make them worse." He said.

"Alright." Hermione said, starting to work on her ankles. "I've got this, Sebastian. You go free Ciel, then I'll get the servants."

"No. I'll get them both." Sebastian said. And by the time she'd freed herself, he'd done just that.

* * *

The dog's death seriously affected Finny. Neither of them even knew the dog, but Hermione couldn't help but be a bit upset by it, too. She, Bard, and Mey-Rin were more than happy to help their friend give the dog a small funeral in the local cemetery. They buried him right next to his Master and marked the grave with a stone, on which they painted his name along with a short statement under it: ' _A loyal, amazing pup, who died defending his master, to the bitter end._ '. Hermione almost burst into tears when she found out from one of James' neighbors that the dog's name was Sirius.

* * *

Hermione sat in the kitchen at the Barrymore manor that night with a glass of milk. She was remembering the end of her fifth year, at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. It was the first time she ever fought in battle, and it was when Sirius Black, the animagus, had been murdered by the bitch, Bellatrix Lestrange. It was the first year that Hermione truly felt the Wizard's War looming over the world like a shadow.

It had been an exhausting day. Hermione looked down at her wrists, where Sebastian had gently wrapped them with linen. She remembered the gentleness he'd shown when treating her, and the gentle tone of his voice he'd used when talking to James' dog as he took his last breath. And she smiled.

Hermione heard the door open behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Mey-Rin entering the room. "Hello, Mey-Rin." She said.

"Oh. Hello, Miss Helena." She said in her usual nervous-sounding voice.

"I thought you'd gone to bed. What are you doing up?" She asked.

"The young Master wanted me to go check on Lor- I mean, Mr. Barrymore and take him some food." Mey-Rin said.

Hermione nodded and quickly drank the last few gulps of her milk.

"So, um, Helena?"

"Yes, Mey-rin?"

"Erm, I was just wondering, would you please go with me?" She asked, a blush coming up to her cheeks, "The dungeon is so dark and scary, yes it is!"

"Of course, Mey-rin. No problem at all. What are friends for?"

Mey-Rin's face lit up at her superior calling her a friend. Hermione put her glass in the sink and the two left the kitchen for the dungeons.

* * *

 **Sebastian**

Sebastian Michaelis was just about to start dressing Ciel for bed when two loud screams came from the direction of the dungeons. Sebastian immediately identified the voices as Mey-Rin and Helena. Following his instincts, Sebastian didn't wait for Ciel and bolted towards the source of the sound, Ciel close behind. Through two corridors and down a set of stairs.

To give a quick description of the scene that met his eyes, all of the servants and Helena (in his mind, he didn't put her in the same group as Mey-Rin, Bard, Finny, and Tanaka) were staring at Lord Barrymore's cell. He could easily see why. Through the bars, the floor was splattered with crimson blood, and there was a large hole in the back wall where something big had barged in. Mey-Rin and Helena had been the unfortunate ones to find the scene, and hence, had the biggest scare from it. Mey-Rin was on her knees on the floor, just pointing at it, frozen with fear, and Helena was standing with her hand over her mouth, unable to look away. She'd been badly frightened, and he didn't like that, but she wasn't hurt.

He heard Ciel run up behind him, followed swiftly by Angela. There was something off about the maid, but he wasn't sure what it was. And he didn't like it one bit.

"Where is Lord Barrymore?" Angela asked.

Just then, a loud knocking at the front door was heard.

Everyone ran upstairs and Angela answered the door. A dripping wet man ran inside and doubled over, panting. "The demon hound… the great hound is here!" He cried.

"Demon hound?" Everyone echoed.

* * *

The man led them back to the horrid place where the Phantomhive household had revealed Barrymore's sins to the village, earlier. It was dark, the ground was muddy, and it was raining. The entire village was there. They were on their knees, hands together in prayer, chanting,

" _The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad. He eats your flesh down to the bone. Down. To. The bone. He'll gobble you up until you're gone. Until. You're. Gone. Nevermind when the sun sets, nevermind the night. The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good…_ "

Dogs were sitting in the crowd, too. Sitting next to their masters, heads up, howling. They couldn't talk, so Sebastian supposed it was their way of joining in on the chant.

"What's happening?" Sebastian asked aloud.

No one answered.

"Snap out of it! What are you all doing?" Baldroy asked, shaking one man's shoulder, but getting no reply.

Lightning flashed, revealing the corpse of Lord Barrymore leaned against the stone wall. His blank, dead eyes stared at nothing. He was missing an arm, and his blood was splattered all over the wall behind him. Ironic, really. How many dogs had he put to death, here? And if there was a demon hound to blame, then it would seem he had been put to death by a dog in the very same place.

The servants screamed, and so did Helena. Sebastian quickly put a hand over her eyes and turned her around, pulling her to his chest. "It's alright." He cooed. "It's alright. Just don't look."

When he felt her nod against him, he reluctantly let her go and went over to inspect the body. The missing arm looked like it had been bitten clean off.

The villagers started shouting out things along the lines of, "Oh demon hound, forgive us!" "Please!" "Forgive us!" And he was vaguely aware of Angela fainting. Oh, brother.

* * *

About an hour later, Sebastian, Ciel, Mey-Rin, Bard, Finny, Tanaka, and Helena were all in one of the now deceased Lord Barrymore's studies at the Barrymore estate. Ciel was the only one seated, Sebastian stood beside him, and Helena, Baldroy, Finny, and Mey-rin were standing in front of the desk.

"Well, this is unfortunate, Master. To think, all of this happening after the case was closed. I'm sure you're a bit… annoyed." Sebastian said teasingly, referring to earlier that evening, when Ciel had said quote un quote: " _Yet another case closed. We can leave the village when the rain lets up."_

"Are you quite finished?" Ciel asked. Ah, so he _was_ annoyed.

"Where is Angela?" Sebastian asked.

"We left her resting up in her bed, for now. She seems tired, yes she does."

"It was a terrible thing to see. Poor thing." Bard said.

"This village completely isolated itself from the outside world out of fear of the demon hound. I thought for certain that it was an illusion created by Lord Barrymore so he could more firmly control the village. Now, I need to rethink things."

"Well, all the evidence points to the fact that Barrymore _did_ have some involvement. Maybe there is a real demon hound _and_ Barrymore used the legend to control the village." Helena suggested. She'd been unusually quiet since they had gotten back. In fact, that was the first sound Sebastian had heard out of her since she'd screamed upon seeing Barrymore's corpse. It had really scared her, that was for sure. And he didn't like that at _all_.

"Yeah. He was covered in bite wounds. Maybe the villagers are right and there _is_ a demon hound." Bard said.

"I bet he's upset for being blamed for Barrymore's misdeeds!" Mey-rin added.

"For now, there's only one thing we know for certain: it wasn't human." Sebastian said.

Helena had a thoughtful expression on her face at that statement, and was that fear in her eyes? In any case, she looked very sad. "Helena, are you alright?" Ciel asked beside him.

Helena looked up. "Hmm? Oh, yes. I'm alright, Ciel. I'm just tired. If I'm not needed for anything else, I'd like to retire for the night. Today has been rather hectic." She said.

"Yes, Helena. Today has been rather hectic. For all of us. I think we should all retire. We'll solve this mystery tomorrow." Ciel said, standing up.

Helena bowed her head, then left the room without a word. Not so much as a goodnight. Usually, she'd say _something_ to Ciel before retiring. She seemed distracted and upset, and Sebastian didn't like that one bit.

* * *

Sebastian had just finished putting Ciel to bed, and was just closing his Master's bedroom door when he felt it.

 _She's…_ _ **crying**_ **.** _Why is she…_ _ **crying?**_

Sebastian felt his eyes turning fischia, and the shadows around him began to dance. What… was troubling Helena, his _soulmate_ , _so much_ , that she was _crying_? Who in their right or wrong mind had the _audacity_ to make _his_ Helena _cry_?

He didn't know who yet, but he wanted someone to die. But first, he had to take care of his soulmate.

Sebastian felt a tear slide down his cheek, and he wiped it away with one finger and stared at the pearl drop on the tip on the digit. God, he was already so close to her, that her emotions were starting to affect him. She was sad. Really, _really_ sad. She was remembering a bad experience, but he didn't know what. Sebastian growled. He hated the very _idea_ of her being upset.

As fast as a demon could, he made a beeline for Helena's room.

* * *

 **Hermione**

Severus Snape, Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown… The names of the lives lost at the Battle of Hogwarts played over and over in Hermione's head in a loop that didn't seem to want to end. She could see all their faces in her mind's eye.

Severus Snape, finally dying the hero he truly was, slumped against the wall of the greenhouse with blood pouring from the snake bites on his neck.

Fred Weasley, lying cold and dead in the great hall, his blue eyes, once alight with laughter, staring up at nothing. His lips curled upward, the ghost of his last smile still evident on his face. His family huddled around him, crying out, screaming with grief, his twin brother holding on to his corpse for dear life.

Remus Lupin and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, lying side-by side not too far from Fred. Dead, but apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling of the great hall.

Colin Creevey, his fingers frozen around his beloved camera, dead.

Lavender Brown falling from a balcony, being pounced on by the werewolf, Greyback. Hermione tried so hard to save her. But by the time she finally blasted Greyback off of her, it was too late. The memory and ' _what ifs'_ of that moment had haunted Hermione ever since.

Killing curses, dementors, giants, death eaters, the Dark Lord… the memories wouldn't stop.

Hermione was sobbing into her pillow, trying and failing to stop crying. _Why_? She hadn't gotten this upset over her past in years, but all the blood spilt today, had just brought it all rushing back.

 **Knock, knock, knock**

"Who is it?" Hermione asked hoarsely.

"Helena, it's Sebastian. May I come in?"

Hermione sniffed and wiped away her tears. She stood up and quickly glanced over at a mirror next to her bed to see how much she could hide her crying. She wiped away her tears and fluffed up her hair. But there wasn't anything she could do with the puffiness of her eyes. She went over to the door and opened it to see a certain Butler standing in the hallway.

"Pardon me, Helena. I know it's late. But you seemed upset, earlier. I couldn't help but be concerned." He said with that beautiful smile of his and the head tilt that she found so endearing. Hermione walked back into her room, gesturing for him to follow. He closed the door behind him as Hermione sat back down on her bed.

"Are you alright, Helena?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Sebastian. But I'm grateful you were worried about me. I'm just tired." She said.

"You're lying." He said with a frown. "You can't hide those puffy eyes from me. You were crying, weren't you?"

Hermione sniffed. "So what if I was? I was just remembering something."

"What could you possibly have remembered to make you so upset?" He asked.

How to explain the Battle of Hogwarts in a way that it could have happened to a muggle? Here goes. "There was a massacre at my school." She said. "I went to a school for the gifted in Scotland for seven years. Near the end of my seventh year, an organized crime group attacked my school because of a mix up some of the students and teachers had with them. My friends and I were in the library when it happened. We ran out when we heard the screaming. There were bodies, everywhere. Men in masks were murdering innocent children. The youngest students at my school were eleven. I was seventeen. They came after us, too. We almost dies so many times, that day. Over fifty people died. It was horrible!"

It wasn't a lie or the truth. But it was enough to satisfy Sebastian's curiosity and concern without revealing anything or throwing off the timeline. But, the memories were still haunting her. Hermione could feel tears swelling up in her eyes, again. "It's stupid, I know. It hasn't bothered me too much in so long. But… It's been a long time since I've seen a dead body and… I guess all the blood spilt, today just triggered my memory."

Hermione cried for the second time that night.

* * *

 **Sebastian**

Helena cried for the second time that night, Sebastian standing awkwardly in front of her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He wanted to comfort her and make her smile. _God_ , he _loved_ her smile. He wanted to so badly, but he was terrified of her reaction. She was his soulmate. There was no doubt about it. And he wanted to avoid any form of rejection from her. Humans weren't nearly as in tune with their instincts as demons, after all. So they weren't affected by these sorts of things nearly as much as demons were.

In the end, he finally followed his instincts and reached out to stroke her hair. But Helena suddenly flung herself at Sebastian, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his jacket. He was startled, so he sort of froze at first. Then, he slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her imperceptibly closer into a warm hug and murmuring consoling words into her ear. Sebastian led her over to her bed and sat both of them down and just held her. He leaned his head on top of hers and took a few moments to cherish the sweet scent of his soulmate that he loved so much.

After a while, the sound of her crying stopped, and Sebastian looked down and realized that she had cried herself to sleep, leaning against him. Sebastian smiled. _God_ , she was beautiful. He gently laid her down on her bed and removed her shoes before pulling back the covers and gently tucking her in. Sebastian wanted to stay, but knew that it just wasn't right to watch someone sleep without them necessarily asking you to. It was creepy. But as he turned to leave, he felt someone grab the end of his tailcoat. He turned around and saw that either Helena had woken up or had been pretending to be asleep. She looked up at him, her beautiful brown eyes pleading.

"Please don't go." She murmured.

He felt something inside his heart swell at her words, asking him not to leave. How could he possibly say no?

"Yes, my lady." Sebastian replied softly.

He sat down on the bed again beside her. She snuggled her body against him, and he absentmindedly stroked her hair until she fell asleep. Then, he sat by her side for most of the night before he had to go. There were a few things he had to do before the sun came up. Helena was still deeply asleep. He gently planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll never leave you," He murmured. "And god forbid, don't you dare ever leave me."

* * *

 **Hey, guys! So sorry for the long wait! Between the cruise my family went on at the beginning of Summer Vacation (Italy, Greece, Montenegro, and Croatia are SO BEAUTIFUL!), my summer job, other fanfics, and my original works, this just didn't get done as fast as I would** **have** **wanted it to.**

 **And seriously, REVIEW! I'm not posting another chapter until my review count hits at least 50! That's just nine people I need to review!**

 **So, toodles! I'll try to get the next chapter out faster than this one! HAGS!**

 **-alphashley14**


	7. Chapter 7: Houndsworth Part III

**Hermione**

Hermione Granger woke up feeling shockingly well rested. She sat up in bed and stretched. There was some sunlight coming in through the window, but with how cloudy it always seemed to be in Houndsworth, there wasn't much. She looked over on her bedside table and saw a note written in Sebastian's neat cursive handwriting. She picked it up. It read:

 _Helena,_

 _Don't be alarmed if you realize you've slept in. I knew you had a bad night, and I thought it best to give you a little more time than the others to sleep. I hope you feel better._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Sebastian Michaelis_

Hermione smiled at the gesture. But, she still felt obligated to get up and get to work. Hermione threw her legs over the side of the bed and got up, stretching once again. She quickly got dressed, brushed her hair and teeth, then washed her face before going downstairs. Surely, breakfast for the servants was over, by now. But, she would probably find at least some fruit or something for breakfast in the kitchens.

She went down to the kitchens and grabbed a muffin and an apple for breakfast, eating quickly, before going to look for Ciel and Sebastian so that Ciel could tell her what he wanted her to do for the day.

Hermione was surprised that she didn't run into Mey-Rin, Bard, Finny, Tenaka, or even Angela on the way to the dining room, where Ciel would probably be having breakfast. The Phantomhive servants could usually be heard getting into one form of trouble or another from across the manor, by now. Surely, they didn't go anywhere without her!

Hermione found Ciel and Sebastian in the dining room, just where she thought they would be.

"Good morning, Young Master. Good morning, Sebastian."

Sebastian turned when he heard her voice. "Ah, good morning, Helena. Feeling better?"

"Much. Thank you. Did you sleep well, Ciel?" Hermione asked.

"As well as one can in a bed other than their own, I suppose." Ciel said, standing up.

"Come on then, you two. We'd best catch up to those three before they get themselves into trouble."

"Trouble?"

"I'll explain on the way." Sebastian sighed.

* * *

"Well, your servants sure are brave, Lord Phantomhive. Foolish too, sadly." Hermione sighed when Sebastian finished telling her of the morning's events. Angela had gone missing. She'd allegedly gone out to gather some herbs for Finny, who ' _wasn't feeling good'_. And off Bard, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Tenaka had gone looking for her. "Honestly, they could all be Gryffindors, the lot of them."

Ciel and Sebastian glanced at her. "Gryffindor?"

Hermione slapped herself on the inside for letting that slip.

"I went to a boarding school for the gifted in Scotland." Hermione said. That was the standard twist of the truth told to Muggles about Hogwarts. "The students were divided into four houses based on their characteristics, traits, and personalities. The houses were named after the school's founders. Gryffindor, for the brave. Ravenclaw, for the studious and intelligent. Slytherin, for the clever and cunning. And Hufflepuff, for the loyal as well as pretty much everyone who didn't fit into the other three houses."

"I suppose that's smart." Sebastian said. "That way, every student could learn in ways that are more prevalent to them, and they could socialize with children with similar personalities."

"That _is_ the idea." Hermione said, "But it also created a lot of friction between students of different houses. Our sporting events were held between the four, and because they're sorted by personality, stereotypes formed quickly about each house."

"Example…" Ciel asked. Ah, so the usually bored, gloomy, lord _was_ interested.

"People often say that ' _Gryffindors are brave, but foolish and not very bright'_ , ' _Ravenclaws are snobs who live with their noses in books and don't know how to have fun'_ , ' _Slytherins are all evil'_ , and ' _Hufflepuffs are stupid and not good for much of anything'_. There's more, but that's the basics."

"And what are your thoughts?" Ciel asked.

Hermione thought for a moment. She thought of Ron and Harry, foolheartedly running off into danger at a moment's notice. She smiled. "Gryffindors _are_ brave. And they _can_ be foolish. And though they sometimes _act_ stupid, I've never known a Gryffindor who was."

Luna Lovegood, Hermione's only friend from Ravenclaw, came into Hermione's mind. "Ravenclaws are definitely smart." She said, "But one for my best friends was from Ravenclaw, and she definitely wasn't a snob. And she was too wild and eccentric to live with her _whole_ life in a book. In fact, _I_ fit that description more than she does.

"As for Slytherins, the stereotype itself came from the fact that a _lot_ of bad people tend to come out of that house. But as I got older, I realized that a lot of Slytherins come from homes that either _are_ or are _rumored_ to be abusive or at least not very stable. They're so cunning because they have to avoid getting ridiculed or beaten. Or something along those lines."

"As for Hufflepuffs, I didn't' know very many, but I know that they're some of the greatest people you could ever hope to be friends with."

They walked in silence for a moment. Finally, Ciel spoke.

"This has me curious. What ' _house'_ do you think _I_ would belong to?"

"Slytherin." Hermione said, not missing a beat. "Not because I think you're evil or anything, but because your main strength comes from your cunning. You always know how to move your pieces around the chess board to win, and how to use your servants and other resources to accomplish your goals. I know you're a very brave boy, but it's not your strongest trait. Books wise, you're smart, but you don't lean towards it enough to be a Ravenclaw, and let's just say I couldn't see you in Hufflepuff in a million years."

"Hm. I can respect that." Ciel said. "That about Sebastian?"

Hermione paused. "You know, I don't know." She finally decided. "Sebastian, you're incredibly brave, cunning, smart, _and_ loyal to a fault. I think you fit in _all_ of them."

Sebastian chuckled. "Well, don't I feel special?" He joked.

Hermione giggled.

Ciel started looking at the two of them funny, but when Hermione looked at him, he looked away.

"What house were you in?" Sebastian asked.

"Let me guess, Ravenclaw." Ciel said.

"Nope. But that one came in second place for me." Hermione said. "I was a Gryffindor. Sometimes I wonder why I was placed there over Ravenclaw, but looking back, I know that no house could have been better for me." She said wistfully, thinking of her friends.

Just then, the three of them heard a scream not too far away. It sounded like Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny!

The three of them started to run. They rounded a corner and…

Amazing. The demon hound _was_ real. The hound was huge, about the size of an elephant. He was as white as fresh fallen snow with long white teeth, large paws, black claws the size of steak knives, and glowing red eyes. Oh yeah, he was also trying to shake Finny off of one of his forelegs.

Bard, Mey-Rin, and Tenaka were just a little ways behind Finny. Bard was aiming Tenaka's gun at the hound, but Hermione couldn't help but snort a laugh when _party streamers_ burst out of the barrel instead of bullets.

"Bloody hell! Why would you bring a toy gun with you?" Bard asked. Seriously, where _was_ the logic in that?

The hound finally shook Finny off, and standing on his hind legs, and started to bring one of his huge clawed paws down in Finny.

Hermione and Mey-Rin screamed.

But, a certain black butler caught the paw midair. How he'd gotten over there so fast was beyond her.

"Would you look at that. So well trained, you even know how to shake hands." Sebastian said.

"You were just in time." Finny said, sitting up and sounding quite relieved.

"But I'm afraid, well trained or not, you'll have to go, now!" Sebastian said. And with one arm, he effortlessly threw the demon hound into the air by the paw. It crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Come. This is no time to be playing with a puppy." Ciel said.

"How the bloody hell did he do that?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Master! Miss Helena!" The Servants cried.

"Certainly. I shall finish it off at once." Sebastian said to Ciel.

The dust from the impact of the demon hound hitting the ground cleared, and Hermione saw the great hound still standing. The malevolent glow had disappeared from it's eyes, and it was sniffing the air.

Sebastian was smiling. In Hermione's experience so far, that was either very good, or a very bad sign. "Smells irresistible, doesn't it?" He asked the creature. And from behind his back, he procured… a box of dog treats.

Hermione deadpanned. _He's seriously about to do this, isn't he?_

"Dog treats?" The Servants exclaimed.

The demon hound's tail wagged, and it began to drool. Then, with a joyful howl, it pounced.

"Sebastian! Look out!" Hermione cried.

He didn't look too concerned, though. In fact, he had a small smile on his face. "There is only one way to properly train a bad dog. You must teach the creature to obey your every command. Using rewards and punishments."

"Oh. My. God." Hermione muttered in disbelief. _Yep. He's definitely about to do this._

The 'rewards and punishments' spectacle that followed was one of the top five most ridiculous things Hermione had ever witnessed. And by the time Sebastian and the Demon hound smashed into the Earth so hard they left a perfect circular hole in the middle of an old swimming pool, Hermione was laughing too hard to be concerned about Sebastian. But through her laughter, Hermione couldn't escape the thought that had manifested itself in her brain from witnessing just how _strong_ Sebastian was. _He's not human._

Wiping tears from her eyes and trying desperately to stop giggling, Hermione followed the others to the edge of the crater to look for Sebastian.

"Sebastian!"

"Uh, hello?"

"I don't see them down there!"

Okay, now Hermione was getting worried.

Then, Ciel walked up. And in a manner that Hermione could only describe as ' _exactly like Mrs. Weasley'_ , with his hands on his hips and in an annoyed tone, Ciel said "Quit dawdling down in that hole! Get back here, right now!"

"Sebastian!" Hermione called.

The earth began to shake. The six of them ran out of the way just in time. Because that was when a hot spring exploded out of the hole. And right at the top of it, carrying a naked man, no less was-

"Sebastian Michaelis! You have _got_ to be one of the most _ridiculous_ people I have ever met!" Hermione laughed.

"So long as I am amusing you, Miss Helena, I shall continue to do so." Sebastian's voice chuckled from above. "This village is intended to be a resort for the Queen. It needs a central attraction. A luxury, a way for visitors to relax and forget their cares. That's what we have here. A natural hot spring."

"Amazing!" The servants exclaimed.

"He certainly does go beyond the call of duty, doesn't he?" Hermione chuckled.

Sebastian jumped down from the spout of water. Hermione cringed, worried he'd break his leg or something landing, but he touched down gracefully, completely unharmed.

"If I couldn't find a hot spring or two for my master, then what kind of butler would I be?" Sebastian asked rhetorically.

 _A realistic one._ Hermione thought. Because honestly, some of the things she'd seen Sebastian do were nothing short of impossible.

The white-haired naked man Sebastian was holding started licking Sebastian on the face. Sebastian looked quite uncomfortable, and Hermione felt her cheeks go red. She quickly turned around before she accidentally got a glimpse of something she'd regret.

 _So, was the Demon Hound an animagus?_ Hermione wondered. _Or some variation of werewolf, maybe? In any case, I am not turning around until he's wearing pants._

"I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Mey-Rin exclaimed, also turning around.

"You and me both." Hermione agreed.

A familiar voice suddenly called, "Pluto!" Hermione turned.

 _Oh, look. Oddly perfect timing. It's Angela._

"Pluto?" Bard asked.

The demon hound, naked in human form, jumped out of Sebastian's arms and ran over to Angela on all fours. Hermione turned around to not face him. She did _not_ need _that_ engraved in her memory!

It eventually came out that Angela had found 'Pluto' last month. Like the rest of the village, she was a big dog lover. Apparently, he was so ' _adorable'_ , Angela just _had_ to take him in! Honestly, was she one of Hagrid's ancestors?! And apparently, Pluto had a ' _bad habit'_ of turning human when he got excited. Angela kept Pluto secret from the village and Barrymore because she was worried bout what would happen to him if anyone found out about him. Angela hadn't thought that her ' _sweet boy'_ would ever hurt anyone.

Oh yeah, and apparently they were taking him with them. Sebastian and the servants were… less than enthusiastic about the idea. Frankly, so was Hermione. But, Ciel had the final say, and he agreed to it for the sole reason that Sebastian hated dogs, just to get on the butler's nerves.

In other news, the villagers now thought that ' _The curse of the great demon hound was lifted'_. As a result of the hot spring, which they interpreted as ' _the land's tears'_ , or something, from some old prophecy. Hermione had suffered through enough prophecies for a lifetime.

It was a big relief when Sebastian finally declared, "This case is now officially closed!"

* * *

 **Sebastian**

That _damn dog_ was put away at last, everything was unpacked, and the young master was safe and secure inside the manor. It had been a long, tiring trip back to the Phantomhive estate, and _everyone_ was happy to be back. But, there was still one more little thing to do before Finny could put away the horses.

Sebastian looked down at Helena's sleeping form and smiled.

She looked so… peaceful when she slept, laid down across the seat of the carriage, her hair fanned out around her head like a halo.

 _God, she's so beautiful._

The last thing Sebastian wanted to do was disturb his sleeping beauty, but the carriages and horses needed to be put away, and she would certainly catch her death if she was out in the cold for too long.

"Helena," He said gently, touching the side of her face gingerly to try to rouse her, "we have arrived."

She stirred, but did not wake.

"As much as I hate to wake you, please wake up, my dear."

"Mmph. Five more minutes." She moaned quietly.

Sebastian chuckled. "As much as I would love to give you more time, a carriage is no place for such a beauty to sleep."

She didn't reply. She'd gone right back to sleep. She likely hadn't heard a word he'd just said.

"It seems I don't have much other choice." He sighed.

Sebastian hooked one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, effortlessly hoisting her up so that her body was against his, her head resting on his shoulder.

Finny didn't say a word, but he began to lead the horses back to the sables. Sebastian carried her back to the manor, but he froze when he had just gotten to the top step. _She_ was nuzzling the side of his neck.

"Smell so nice…" She sighed contentedly in her sleep.

Sebastian inhaled. _Honeysuckle. Cats. Books. You smell divine, my love._ He thought.

Sebastian carried Helena all the way to her new room in the Servant's chambers. They had left so suddenly for Houndsworth, she hadn't had time to even see it, yet. It was nicer than most servant's rooms, since she was second-in-command among them behind himself, but he still wanted better for her. He wanted silk and gold and diamonds to adorn her with. He wanted to give her the _world_. Because she deserved no less, for she was _his world._

Sebastian felt something rub against his leg. He looked down to see Knick-knacks, Helena's _beautiful_ cat, purring and looking up at him.

He'd let the poor sweet thing out of its cat carrier as soon as they had arrived. But it seemed that the unusually intelligent cat had followed him and it's master.

"Now _you_ , are a sweet boy, aren't you?" Sebastian asked the feline, thinking of the doting words that _woman_ had given to that _dog_. There was something not right about Angela. Something… _occult_. But Sebastian couldn't put his finger on exactly what.

The cat meowed as if to say, " _Of course I am. I'm wonderful."_

Sebastian chuckled. Helena shifted in his arms, reminding him of his earlier job.

He gently and lovingly tucked her into bed. She rolled over facing away from him with a content sigh, and her cat jumped up on the bed and snuggled up next to her.

 _Cat, what I wouldn't give to be in your shoes right now_. Sebastian thought.

Sebastian started to lean over to kiss Helena on the cheek, but he suddenly felt Ciel summon him. Sebastian growled. _It's as if he has a freaking sixth sense. As soon as I'm at my happiest, he calls me for something._

 _God,_ he couldn't wait for this _damn_ contract to be _over!_ He thought as he started making his way to Ciel's office. He couldn't properly court his soulmate when he had to answer to that _damn_ brat!

Sebastian paused and took a moment to compose himself.

His Young Master, Ciel Phantomhive, while he was a spoiled brat sometimes, was actually much more reasonable than many of his masters in the past had been. And he was much kinder to Sebastian and his other servants than many of them, too. Besides, Sebastian rather liked the butler lifestyle. Against what one would think, he _was_ perfectly content living like this… until _she_ came along.

Everything was different, now. The rewards reaped from courting _her_ , from being with _her_ , from holding and loving and protecting _her,_ from spending eternity with _her_ , were worth a thousand times more than any human soul. Even one as rare and succulent and _divine_ as the soul of Ciel Phantomhive.

 _Helena Gryffin, I can't wait to start my eternity with you!_ Just thinking about it made Sebastian have to refrain from grinning.

When Sebastian arrived at Ciel's door, he knocked twice politely, requesting access. "Come in." Ciel's usual disinterested voice said.

"You called for me, Young Master?"

"Yes." Ciel said, not looking up. Sebastian stood in front of Ciel's desk, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he looked up at Sebastian and spoke. "I cannot help but remember something that Red Reaper, Grell, said."

"And what is that, my young Lord?" Sebastian asked.

"' _Your eyes are filled with an impurity that loves absolutely nothing.'_ He was talking about you, of course."

"Ah, yes. I remember." Sebastian said.

"So tell me, Sebastian. Can demons love?"

Sebastian hesitated. "Why do you ask, young Master?" He asked.

"Call it simple curiosity." The Phantomhive replied. "Now answer the question."

Sebastian thought for a moment, trying to decide the best way to explain it to a human. Finally he sighed and said, "No, it's not true. Demons _can_ love."

"Really?" Ciel said, raising an eyebrow. Sebastian sensed a bit of surprise coming from the boy.

"Yes. Not all demons have the capacity to love, but some have a significant other that they grow emotionally attached to instantly. Our _soulmates_."

" _Soul_ mates? I thought demons didn't have a soul." Ciel said, a hint of a question in his tone.

"Of course demons have souls. All intelligent beings do. Humans, Demons, Reapers, and the like. Why would you think demons _didn't_ have a soul?"

The look on Ciel's face said it all: _Because you eat souls for dinner._

"Well, then. I'm just going to go out on a limb and assume Helena is your soulmate. Is that right?"

Sebastian tensed.

"Don't bother to deny it. To me at least, it's abundantly obvious you harbor serious feelings for her."

"Why ask if you knew?" Sebastian inquired.

"Because as I said, I wasn't aware that demons could love." Ciel stood up. "So tell me, Sebastian. What does that mean?"

Sebastian paused. "It means things are different, now." He said quietly.

"Different?" Ciel inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Allow me to explain." Sebastian said. "The moment a demon first encounters their soulmate, a bond immediately forms, and said demon couldn't bear to stay away from their soulmate for too long even if they wanted to. Thoughts of them invade the mind at all hours of the day and we simply can't get enough of them. The moment I saw Helena, for instance, when you told me to run after her, I froze. She was… the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." Sebastian remembered the sudden unfamiliar feeling in his chest, and the thoughts of her that had plagued his mind during the few days it took to find her, again.

"The moment I found her, I did as a gentleman should do and kissed her hand. But the moment we touched skin-to-skin, I knew what she was to me. I could have been blind, and I would know who she was."

"And?" Ciel prompted for further elaboration.

"The bond I mentioned only grows stronger as a demon and his soulmate spend more time in each other's company. For instance, I have already begin to get general ideas of how Helena is feeling even when I am not near her. She has not been affected nearly as much as I, because humans aren't quite as in tune with their instincts as we demons are. But eventually, she will be just as infatuated with me as I am with her. Then, once I am free of my contract with you, I will whisk her off to my palace in Hell and make her my mate. When that happens, she will become an immortal demoness, and the two of us will spend the rest of eternity together."

"Does that mean she'll become like you?" Ciel asked.

"If you are asking whether or not her personality will change at all, then no. She'll still have all the thoughts, feelings, and personality she has, now. I'd surely rather die than change her into someone else. She's _perfect_ , just the way she is. She will merely inherit a demon's immortality and abilities. Frankly, I wouldn't even change that, but you humans don't live very long compared to us demons, you know."

"What would happen if something were to happen to her."

Sebastian visibly shuddered at the thought. "Even at this stage, my heart and willingness to live would die with her." Sebastian said. "I'd likely go into a rage and slaughter whoever was responsible for her death before going into an incredibly depressed state for weeks, processing the fact that she was gone. Not moving, breathing, or even thinking about anything other than the fact that she was gone and never coming back. Not even a contract would matter, anymore. Any order you or any master would give me would fall on deaf, uncaring ears. Once I finally snapped out of that, I would immediately go to Rome."

"Rome? Why Rome?" Ciel inquired.

"That's one of the few ways demons commit suicide." Sebastian replied. Ciel gasped, and his eyes visibly widened. "Walk right up the front steps of the Vatican and go into demon form, and an exorcist or a group of them would kill you in less than a minute." Sebastian said. "It's difficult to kill a demon, much less one as powerful as myself. But a demon that doesn't fight back against a skilled Catholic exorcist is as good as dead."

"You care about her that much?" Ciel asked, looking absolutely shocked at Sebastian's declaration.

"Yes. And that brings me to my final point, _Young Master._ How does any of this affect _you_?"

A hint of nervousness crossed Ciel's features, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"A demon's contract changes the second they encounter their soulmate, should it happen while they are under contract. There's a new rule in place that you had best follow to the letter, Young Master."

"And what would that be?" Ciel asked.

"Should a demon's master make any attempt to separate a demon from his or her soulmate, whether that be altering my schedule or hers to keep us apart, murdering Helena, simply firing her to get rid of any unwanted _distraction_ , telling me to do something on purpose just to keep me away from her, eccetera, will result in the immediate forfeit or destruction of the contract. If I'm feeling generous, I might let you keep your soul and simply disappear. You'd never see nor hear from myself or Helena again. We'd both simply vanish. But most likely, I'd devour your soul _and_ take my soulmate away." Sebastian said. He felt his eyes turn fuchsia and the shadows around him began to dance dangerously.

" _What_?!"

"If the two of you were in danger and I could only save one, I'd save her over you in a heartbeat." Sebastian said with a dangerous smile.

And just like that, everything snapped back to normal.

"Now, Helena is currently asleep. It would seem that she was exhausted by the trip. Might I prepare you some tea? I'm sure you're quite tired, as well. It _was_ a long trip." Sebastian suggested brightly.

Ciel collected himself. The hairs on the back of his neck were still standing on end from the demons' threatening presence. It was gone now, and Sebastian was back to his usual self.

"Yes. Yes, of course. Tea would be wonderful."

* * *

 **So so sorry it's been SO LONG! I'm one of those idiots who is writing six fanfictions at once PLUS an original story. I lost intrest writing this for a while in favor of another story of mine. Then, just as I was getting back into this, I had some crazy crap happen in my family. THEN, there was a shooting at my school, David W. Butler High School, just a hallway away from where I was at the time. (SCARIEST DAY OF MY LIFE! I was locked in the library, I started writing a letter to my family because I legit thought I was going to die, and then a pregnant girl started having contractions! But she was taken to the hospital once they gave the all clear and they stopped the birth because it was a month early.)**

 **But enough with the excuses, I'm back now! I hoped you liked the chapter and I'll try not to have such a long gap between this one and the next one!**

 **Have a great day! And remember to be One Hell of a Human at whatever you do!**

 **-alphashley14**


End file.
